April 21, 2012 at 8:29 AM
Cup of Coffee: Power hitting helps blast Pawtucket, Salem to big victories
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| Mauro Gomez (Kelly O'Connor) |
4/21 Cup of Coffee: Power hitting played a big part in wins for Pawtucket and Salem, while Portland and Greenville both fell in close games.
It was a high scoring night for the PawSox as they defeated the Durham Bulls (TAM) 15-10 at McCoy Stadium. The scoring started early with both teams recording 2 runs in the first inning. Mauro Gomez blasted a two run homer scoring Jose Iglesias. Pawtucket struck again in the second, when Tony Thomas homered to score Will Middlebrooks and Josh Kroeger. It wasn't long however until the game was tied back up at 5. The Bulls answered in the top of the third with 3 runs off of Pawtucket starter Doug Mathis. Mathis, who pitched 2.2 innings for 7 hits, 5 runs, and 3 walks with 4 errors, was replaced by Tony Pena. Brandon Duckworth came on the mound in the fifth, and pitched 4 innings for 4 hits, 3 hits, and 3 runs. Gomez homered again in the fifth, making the score 9-7. By the seventh inning, Durham was leading 9-8. In the bottom of that inning Alex Hassan smacked a grand slam that scored Gomez, Middlebrooks, and Kroeger. The Bulls tried to rally in the eighth, tallying 1 run, but were no match for the PawSox who recorded 3 more runs that inning. Middlebrooks hit his sixth home run of the season, scoring Ryan Lavarnway and Gomez. Of Pawtucket's 15 runs, only 2 weren't the result of a home run. The PawSox had 16 hits in the game, with six players recording multiples, and Gomez getting 4.
The Sea Dogs couldn't keep up with the Binghamton Mets (NYM) early runs and lost 7-5 on the road. The Mets got to Portland starter Chris Balcom-Miller early, tallying 2 runs in the first, and 1 in the second. Portland's batters answered in the top of the third, tallying 3 runs off the bats of Derrik Gibson and Bryce Brentz, and a wild pitch that scored Gibson. The Mets, however, continued their offensive push and scored 3 more runs in the third. Balcom-Miller pitched 2.0 innings, throwing for 5 hits, 6 runs, 5 walks, and recording 6 errors. He was replaced with no outs in the third by Jeremy Kehrt. Kehrt pitched 4 innings with 4 hits, no runs, and 1 walk. Heiker Meneses homered in the top of the fourth making the score 6-5 in favor of the Mets. Binghamton's bats were quiet until the seventh, when they batted in one run against Portland pitcher Aaron Kurcz. He pitched 1 inning of relief, allowing 2 hits, 1 run, and 1 walk. Caleb Clay came on to pitch in the 8th, throwing for 2 hits, no runs, and 1 walk. At the plate, the Sea Dogs had 11 hits, 4 of which came from Kolbrin Vitek.
The Salem Red Sox pounded 6 runs in the first inning to help secure a 13-4 win over the Potomac Nationals (WAS) at Pfitzner Stadium. Sean Coyle started the scoring for the Red Sox, when he doubled to drive in Jackie Bradley. Christian Vazquez also doubled, scoring Coyle and Brandon Jacobs. Drew Hedman then blasted a 3 run homer that drove in Travis Shaw and Vazquez. Salem starter Brandon Workman let up 1 run in both the second and third innings, and 2 more in the top of the fifth. Workman pitched 4.1 innings for 8 hits, 4 runs, and 1 walk. He was replaced in the fifth by Manuel Rivera, who was credited with the win. Rivera pitched 3.2 scoreless innings, recording 1 hit and 2 walks. Salem's offense struck again in the fourth inning, adding 2 more runs to the board when Coyle homered, driving in James Kang. They tallied up 5 more runs in the fifth thanks to RBI's from Vazquez, Shannon Wilkerson, and Coyle. Michael Olmstead came on to close the game in the ninth, and struck out the three batters he faced. The Red Sox recorded 12 hits in their 13-4 rout over Potomac. Four men had multiple hits, and Coyle led the team in hits and RBI's with 3 and 6 respectively.
The Drive scored 2 runs in a seventh inning rally, but fell 3-2 to the Augusta GreenJackets (SF) at Fluor Field. Despite being credited with the loss, Greenville starter Miguel Pena had a good showing, giving up only 1 run in the fourth. Pena threw 5 innings, with 5 hits, 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts. Nefi Ogando took the mound for the Drive in the sixth inning, and threw 2 innings with 3 hits, 2 runs, and no walks. The GreenJackets increased their lead to 3-0 when they tallied 2 runs in the seventh, but Greenville answered with 2 runs of their own in the bottom of the frame. Lucas LeBlanc doubled to score Henry Ramos, and Keury De La Cruz crossed the plate on a ground-out by Jordan Weems. Lefty Hunter Cervenka closed out the game for the drive, pitching 2 innings with 1 hit, no runs, and 1 walk. Only 3 members of the Drive got hits in the game, and LeBlanc was the only one to have multiples with 2.
Player of the Night: Mauro Gomez whose 2 homers helped push the PawSox to victory. Gomez went 4/4 on the night, with 3 RBI.