May 29, 2010 at 6:59 AM
Butler's big night powers Drive
5/29 Cup of Coffee: Offense was hard to come by in the high minors Friday night, but some offensive fireworks netted Salem and Greenville victories as the holiday weekend began.
In his first start at McCoy Stadium, Felix Doubront was the hard-luck loser as Pawtucket fell 3-0 to Norfolk (BAL). Doubront gave up just 1 earned run on 8 hits, striking out 6 and walking just 2 in 5.0 innings. Chad Paronto allowed a run in 2.0 innings, and after Ramon A. Ramirez tossed a scoreless eighth, Fernando Cabrera gave up a run in the ninth. Bubba Bell had 2 of the PawSox' 4 hits on the evening.
In the first game of a weekend homestand, Portland lost 3-2 to New Britain (MIN). Mitch Herold took the loss, allowing 1 run on 2 hits in 2.1 relief innings after Robert Coello allowed 2 runs in 4.2 frames. Santo Luis pitched 2.0 scoreless innings of relief. Che-Hsuan Lin was 3 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored, and Jose Iglesias had a pair of hits and an RBI in the loss.
The Salem pitching staff kept the clamps down on opposing batters, allowing just 5 hits in an 8-0 win over Potomac (WAS). Brock Huntzinger threw 6.0 shutout innings, allowing 4 hits and fanning 4 in his second straight scoreless outing. Oscar Tejeda and Ryan Lavarnway provided the bulk of the offense for Salem, with Tejeda hitting a two-run home run in the fourth and Lavarnway belting two, a three-run shot in the sixth and a solo shot in the eighth. Mitch Dening had 3 hits and Ryan Dent added an RBI for the Sox, while Kyle Fernandes and Zach Hammes combined to throw 3.0 scoreless innings.
After dropping their last two games, Greenville opened up an eight-game road trip with a 9-5 win over Hagerstown (WAS). Chris McGuiness and Dan Butler each homered and Butler, Derrick Gibson, and Reymond Fuentes drove in 2 runs apiece in the win. Butler and Fuentes each had 4 hits, while Vladimir Frias and Ronald Bermudez both drove in runs. Manny Rivera allowed 2 runs in 4.0 innings, and Pedro Perez allowed 3 runs, 1 earned in 4.0 innings of his own to get the win. Dennis Neuman threw a perfect ninth.
Player of the Night: Dan Butler was 4 for 5 with a double, a two-run home run, and two runs scored in Greenville's 9-5 win. Butler is batting .321 with 5 home runs and 19 RBI in 38 games this season.