Erie SeaWolves rally to take Game 1 of championship series in front of record crowd

Gerson Moreno's final strike came first, then the three taps to his chest, and finally the fans' howls as the Erie SeaWolves spilled onto the infield from the dugout.

In front of a playoff-record crowd of 5,040 at UPMC Park, the SeaWolves rallied twice Saturday night to knock off Somerset 6-5 in the first game of the best-of-three Eastern League Championship Series. They are one win away from the first championship in franchise history.

“These guys wanted it. They fought hard and played a very good Somerset team,” SeaWolves manager Gabe Alvarez said. “This crowd was unbelievable and the guys fed off their energy. They wanted this one.”

“It was about execution and we had a couple of mistakes that hurt us,” Somerset manager Dan Fiorito said. “We competed all game, and that's a really talented group on the other side. Our series with them earlier in the year was back and forth, and this is going to be a fun series.”

The SeaWolves were 4-17 all-time in the playoffs before this past week. The 'Wolves have now won three playoff games in a row in front of three record crowds, including more than 9,000 on Thursday in Richmond, Virginia.

The 'Wolves and Patriots travel to TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, New Jersey, for Game 2 Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. and, if necessary, Game 3 Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. The SeaWolves need one win to secure their first league championship, while the Patriots have to win both games to hoist the trophy. Alvarez said Chance Kirby will start for the SeaWolves on Tuesday.

10 key moments from Game 1:

Wilmer Flores works out of early jam

With an energized crowd behind him, Wilmer Flores allowed a leadoff single in the top of the first inning with some of the top Yankees prospects coming to the plate. He induced a groundball for a fielder's choice by Jasson Dominguez (No. 2 prospect) and flyouts by Austin Wells (No. 4) and Andres Chaparro to end the inning.

Somerset misses another early opportunity

The Patriots had a big scoring chance in the second inning when Elijah Dunham led off with a walk and stole second base. Flores, however, had a popout and struck out two batters to keep the game scoreless and keep the crowd in the game.

Austin Wells breaks through

Wells, the former Pac-12 freshman of the year at Arizona, could be behind the plate at Yankee Stadium in a few years and showed his offensive firepower. With runners on second and third and one out, Flores went after Wells with first base open. Wells drove a 1-1 pitch to the center-field wall for a two-run double and 2-0 Patriots lead.

Parker Meadows home run sparks SeaWolves

Erie struggled the first time through the lineup against Somerset starter Will Warren, the No. 8 prospect for the Yankees. With one out in the fourth inning, Parker Meadows crushed a solo home run to right field to get Erie on the scoreboard.

Gage Workman wallops one

The SeaWolves finally chased the Warren in the bottom of the fifth inning. Michael De La Cruz started the inning by lacing a double down the left-field line. Gage Workman followed by crushing a 2-2 pitch over the center-field wall for a two-run home run that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Patriots with two-out lightning

Erie nearly had a shutdown inning after taking a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning. Wells doubled and Chaparro singled to put runners on first and third with no outs. Brant Hurter, who was activated from the development list Saturday morning, struck out the next two hitters and had the crowd on its feet, but Jesus Bastidas singled in one run and Tyler Hardman doubled in two more to give Somerset a 5-3 lead.

Workman beats a former Laker

The bottom of the sixth inning started slowly with Somerset hanging on to a 5-3 lead. With two quick outs and a Parker Meadows double, Danny Serretti reached on an infield single and Michael De La Cruz walked to load the bases. Somerset turned to former Mercyhurst star pitcher Matthew Minnick, who is 5-3 with a 1.81 ERA in 35 appearances this year and a short stint in Triple-A as well. Workman snuck a single through the left side into center field to drive in two runs and tie the score at five. Workman drove in four runs, which is second in SeaWolves history for a playoff game behind Jeff Larish, who finished with five RBIs in one game in the 2007 playoffs.

Kick save, not a beaut

The SeaWolves took one final lead in the seventh inning on a Somerset error. With Jon Rosoff on first base and two outs, Meadows singled to Dominguez in center. With Rosoff rounding second and going to third base, Dominguez appeared to field the ball in his glove but then accidentally kicked the ball out of his glove in front of him. Rosoff rounded third because of the error and scored when the throw to the plate was off center.

Gerson Moreno's entrance

The SeaWolves turned to closer Gerson Moreno in the ninth inning with a 6-5 lead. The atmosphere went from a little apprehensive to electric when he came sprinting to the field and the “Narco” blared over the speakers. Timmy Trumpets' tune has become a cultural phenomenon as the walk-up song for New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz. The SeaWolves staff played it for Moreno during Game 1 of the division series against Richmond and cued it up Saturday night to fire up the crowd and get rally towels twirling.

The final strikeout

Moreno dominated the Somerset lineup in the ninth inning with a popout and two strikeouts. He needed to retire the first three hitters to avoid facing the prospects in the heart of the Somerset lineup. The SeaWolves set a franchise record with 16 strikeouts in a playoff game, including five by Flores, four by Hurter, three from Elvis Alvarado and two apiece by Andrew Magno and Moreno.

Contact Tom Reisenweber at treisenweber@timesnews.com and on Twitter @ETNReisenweber.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie SeaWolves one win from Eastern League championship