Thompson makes splash in debut

6/22 Cup of Coffee: A light three game schedule for the affiliates was not without some interesting storylines. Pawtucket could not get enough offense to back a great start on the mound, while Lowell's home opener was not one to remember. The GCL Red Sox provided the lone win of the evening, winning their game on opening day in exciting walk-off fashion.

Despite a great start on the mound from Michael Bowden, Pawtucket fell late to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (NYY) 4-3. Bowden had his second straight impressive start, going 6.2 innings, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and a walk while striking out 7. The PawSox did not score until the eighth, getting two on a Josh Reddick sacrifice fly and a Bubba Bell RBI single. The two runs tied the score 2-2, but Pawtucket would give one back in the bottom half of the inning before pulling even once again in the ninth on Ryan Shealy's RBI double. The Yankees won the contest in the bottom half of the inning, thanks to an error and a wild pitch by reliever Fabio Castro. Castro picked up the loss as he pitched 1.2 innings, allowing 2 runs on 1 hit and a walk. Niuman Romero and Bell were both 3 for 4 to lead the Pawtucket offense.

Hoping to make the most of their home opener, Lowell fell flat against the Tri-City ValleyCats (HOU), being shut out 5-0. Spinners starter Randy Consuegra faced five batters, allowing 3 runs on 4 walks, a hit batsmen and 4 wild pitches. Newly signed Keith Couch made his professional debut following Consuegra out of the bullpen, going 5.0 innings, allowing just 1 hit while striking out 3. Wilson Matos relieved Couch by pitching 2.0 scoreless innings, allowing just 1 hit and 2 walks. Cesare Angeloni pitched the final 2.0 innings and allowed 2 unearned runs on 2 hits and 2 walks while punching out 1. Kolbrin Vitek went 3 for 3 with a double and a walk to account for all but one of Lowell's hits on the evening.

After being down 6-0, the GCL Red Sox scored three in the ninth to take home the victory 8-6 over the GCL Rays (TB). Red Sox starter Sergio Gomez was torched in his 1.1 innings of work, allowing 5 runs on 5 hits and a walk. Luis Bastardo followed by pitching 4.2 innings, allowing 1 run on 6 hits while striking out 3. Justin Erasmus picked up the victory by pitching 3.0 scoreless innings, allowing just 1 hit and striking out 3. The Rays scored all six of their runs in the second, and the Red Sox slowly chipped away at the lead all evening. Roberto Ramos got the Red Sox on the board in the bottom of the second on his RBI single. The Red Sox added two more in the fourth on a Boss Moanaroa solo home run and a Leonel Escobar RBI ground out. Jose Vinicio's RBI ground out in the sixth and Jason Thompson's sacrifice fly in the seventh brought the Red Sox within one at 6-5. Needing some magic in the ninth, the first two runners reached base before Thompson smacked a walk-off three-run home run to bring home the victory.

Player of the Night: Jason Thompson, who went 1 for 4, with 4 RBI and a walk-off home run in the GCL Red Sox 8-6 victory.

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