Coyle's hot bat helps Greenville outshine the Suns

7/24 Cup of Coffee: As the major league squad stayed hot, Pawtucket, Portland, Greenville and Lowell all claimed victory Saturday. Salem and the GCL Sox both fell relatively easily to their opponents thanks to faulty pitching.

After winning on Friday, Pawtucket took game two of the series against the Buffalo Bisons (NYM), 4-1. Brandon Duckworth turned in a stellar outing for the PawSox, going 6.0 innings, allowing just 6 hits and a walk while striking out 2. Tommy Hottovy added 1.1 innings of relief, allowing 1 run on 1 hit. Michael Bowden picked up his 12th save for a scoreless ninth inning that included 2 strikeouts. The game was scoreless until the sixth, when Pawtucket plated three runs on a Jose Iglesias RBI single and a Nate Spears sacrifice fly. In the seventh, a Ronald Bermudez RBI groundout extended Pawtucket’s lead to 4-0. Buffalo added a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth, but was held in check the rest of the way. Every member of the PawSox lineup with the exception of Hector Luna had at least one hit.

A likely hero presented themselves late as the Sea Dogs brushed by the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (TOR), 3-2. Mike Lee went 4.0 innings in the start for Portland, allowing just 2 hits while striking out 2. Kyle Fernandes added 2.2 innings of relief, allowing 1 run on 2 hits and 3 walks, striking out 2. Blake Maxwell picked up the victory due to his 2.1 innings out of the bullpen, allowing 1 run on 4 hits and a walk, striking out 2. With the game scoreless in the fifth, Ryan Khoury broke the deadlock with an RBI single that gave Portland a 1-0 lead. After New Hampshire tied the game in the seventh, Will Middlebrooks cracked a two run home run in the eighth to give Portland a 3-1 advantage. The Fisher Cats rallied for a run in the bottom of the eighth, but their rally fizzled out before they could tie the game. Khoury and Middlebrooks each had two hits to lead the Sea Dogs offense.

A four game winning streak came to an end for Salem as they were pounced on by the Lynchburg Hillcats (ATL), 7-3. Stolmy Pimentel received the loss for his 3.0 innings of work, allowing an unearned run on 2 hits while striking out 2. Pete Ruiz followed Pimentel with 2.2 innings of relief, allowing 4 runs on 8 hits, striking out 1. Anatanaer Batista was next out of the bullpen, hurling 1.2 innings, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks. Jeremiah Bayer finished off the game with 1.2 innings, allowing a hit and a walk while punching out 3. Down 5-0 in the sixth, Salem got on the board thanks to a Bryce Brentz RBI double. Staring down a 7-1 hole, the Red Sox added two in the bottom of the ninth on a Matt Spring two run home run. Brentz, Miles Head and Kolbrin Vitek each had two hits to lead the Salem offense.

Greenville’s offense poured in on in the middle innings on their way to an 8-4 victory over the Hagerstown Suns (WAS). Kyle Stroup tossed 5.0 innings for the victory, allowing 1 run on 6 hits, striking out 1. Justin Erasmus added 2.0 innings of scoreless relief, allowing 2 hits and a walk while punching out 3. Michael Gleason closed out the game with 2.0 innings out of the bullpen, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits, striking out 1. Down 1-0 in the fifth, Greenville took a 2-1 lead on back-to-back RBI doubles from David Renfroe and Wilfred Pichardo. Sean Coyle’s RBI single and Brandon Jacobs two run home run in the sixth gave the Drive a 5-1 advantage. Jacobs helped tack on another run in the seventh, lacing an RBI double that put Greenville on top 6-1. In the ninth, Coyle blasted a two run home run to give Greenville a comfortable 8-1 advantage. Hagerstown rallied for three in the bottom of the ninth before finally succumbing. Coyle continued his stellar month of July with a 3 for 5 showing, scoring 3 runs and adding a home run and 3 RBI.

Lowell’s offense got a late start but overcame a 5-0 hole to defeat the Auburn Doubledays (WAS), 7-5. Luis Diaz received the start for the Spinners, tossing 4.0 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks, striking out 1. Braden Kapteyn added an inning of relief, allowing 2 runs on 5 walks, striking out 1. Luis Bastardo picked up the victory for his 4.0 innings out of the bullpen, allowing just 1 hit and striking out 5. Facing a 5-0 deficit in the sixth, Lowell plated its first run of the contest on a Roberto Ramos RBI groundout. In the seventh, the Spinners plated four runs on a Leonel Escobar RBI double, Joantoni Garcia RBI double and a Nick Natoli RBI single to tie the game, 5-5. In the eighth, Boss Moanaroa smashed a two run home run to give the Spinners the 7-5 advantage. Moanaroa and Keury De La Cruz each had two hits to lead the Lowell offense.

Winners of their last two contests, the GCL Red Sox were stopped in their tracks 6-1 by the GCL Twins (MIN). Royce Ring made his Red Sox organizational debut with 1.0 scoreless inning of work. Zach Good followed ring with 2.0 perfect innings of relief. Jacob Dahlstrand received the loss for his 2.0 innings of work, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks, striking out 1. William Cuevas also hurled 2.0 innings, allowing 1 run on 2 hits, striking out 1. The game was finished by Brenden Shepard, who twirled 2.0 innings, allowing 2 unearned runs on 4 hits while striking out 3. The Red Sox lone run of the contest came in the second on a Roberto Reyes RBI double.

Player of the Night: Sean Coyle, who went 3 for 5 with 3 runs scored, a home run and 3 RBI in Greenville’s 8-4 victory over Hagerstown. Coyle is now hitting .284/.419/.537 in the month of July.

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