Portland splits doubleheader with Thunder

5/29 Cup of Coffee: The Dominican Summer League got underway on Saturday on a day which yielded mixed results for Red Sox affiliates.

Pawtucket took a 7-0 lead into the third inning, but the Indianapolis Indians (PIT) rallied back to take down the PawSox 9-7. Home runs from Hector Luna, Michael McKenry, and Brent Dlugach in the first two innings helped stake Pawtucket to a seven-run lead, but those would be all the runs the PawSox would push across. Kyle Weiland pitched 5.0 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits while walking a pair and striking out 8. Jason Rice yielded a pair of runs in his 2.0 innings of work, while Clevelan Santeliz was charged with the blown save and the loss after throwing the final 2.0 innings and giving up 5 runs (3 earned). Both Luna and Dlugach tallies a pair of RBIs in the loss.

Portland was scheduled for a doubleheader against the Trenton Thunder (NYY) and dropped game one of the twin billing by a score of 8-7. Stephen Fife started for the Sea Dogs and was knocked around, allowing 6 runs on 11 hits in 4.2 innings of work. He also both walked and struck out 3 batters. Like the PawSox, Portland got out to an early lead thanks to the long ball. Ryan Lavarnway launched a three-run homer to left in the bottom of the first to give the Sea Dogs a 3-0 lead. After two Trenton runs, Chih-Hsien Chiang added a two-run home run of his own to extend the Sea Dogs lead to 5-2. Trenton scored two more in the fourth, and then scored four more times off a combination of Fife and Seth Garrison. Lavranway hit his second home run of the game in the fifth, but it was not enough to complete the Sea Dogs comeback.

Portland scored seven runs again in game two, and this time it was enough to earn the victory and the split of the doubleheader with a 7-5 triumph. Portland scored all of their runs in the second inning due in part to two hits in the inning from Will Middlebrooks, a solo home run and a two-RBI double. Jonathan Hee added three RBI with a double while Chiang continued to contribute with an RBI of his own. Jeremy Kehrt started but couldn't make it out of the fourth, firing 3.2 innings and allowing 4 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits while walking 2. Eamonn Portice came on and finished the game to earn the win allowing just 1 run on 2 hits over the final 3.1 innings.

After dropping both ends of a doubleheader to Frederick (BAL) on Friday, Salem continued to struggle after getting doubled up by the Keys 6-3. Ryan Pressly got the start for Salem and went 4.2 innings and allowed 5 runs on 5 hits with 3 walks and 2 strikeouts. Down 1-0 in the bottom of the first, Shannon Wilkerson went deep to tie the score on his fifth home run of the year. The Keys scored a pair of runs in both the third and fifth innings while also plating a run against William Latimer in the seventh. Salem looked to claw back in the bottom of the seventh on a solo home run from Reynaldo Rodriguez. Michael Almanzar added a sacrifice fly, but the deficit was too much to over come and Frederick took its third straight from the Salem Sox.

Anthony Ranaudo moved his record up to 4-1 after Greenville's 5-2 defeat of the Kannapolis Intimidators (CWS). Ranaudo went 6.0 innings and gave up 2 runs on 3 hits while fanning 8 without walking a batter. A steal of third by Sean Coyle led to the Drive's first run after the throw went into left field and Coyle scored. Greenville padded its lead in the third on RBIs from Felix Sanchez and Christian Vazquez. A fourth-inning home run from Henry Ramos-- his first with the Drive-- gave Greenville a 4-0 lead. The Intimidators cut the lead in half with a pair of runs in the fifth, but an insurance run in the seventh came in the person of Sanchez, who knocked in another run with a single. Keith Couch threw a perfect seventh, eighth, and ninth to earn the three-inning save.

The Dominican Summer League opened its schedule yesterday, and the DSL Red Sox came out in grand fashion with an 11-2 trouncing of the DSL Yankees2 (NYY). The Yankees actually opened up the scoring in the fourth with two runs, but the Red Sox scored 11 unanswered runs for the victory. Ynoel Aguero went 3 for 4 with 3 RBI while Aneudis Peralta added a pair runs batted in with a 2-for-4 day at the plate. Francellis Montas started for the Red Sox and went just 2.0 innings, though he did not allow a hit and fanned four batters. Edwin Osorio, William Cuevas, and Ellis Jimenez all pitched in relief, with Osorio the only DSL Red Sox pitcher to allow any runs.

Player of the Night: Ryan Lavanway, who combined for a 4-for-5 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI in a doubleheader against Trenton. He also drew a walk in each of the two games.

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