May 30, 2012 at 6:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Anderson blasts Pawtucket by Tides
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| Lars Anderson (Kelly O'Connor) |
5/30 Cup of Coffee: An offensive duel broke Pawtucket’s way while Greenville was swarmed by the Sand Gnats. Portland and Salem's Tuesday night contests were washed away by Mother Nature.
An offensive slugfest went Pawtucket's way as they rolled the Norfolk Tides (BAL), 11-8. Ross Ohlendorf had a tough evening on the mound, tossing 4.0 innings, allowing 5 runs on 10 hits and 2 walks while punching out 5. Junichi Tazawa picked up the victory for his 2.0 innings of relief, allowing 1 run on 2 hits while striking out 4. Mark Melancon added 1.2 innings of relief, allowing 1 run on 2 hits while punching out 2. Will Inman picked up his fourth save, tossing a scoreless ninth inning. After the Tides plated a run in the top of the first, Pawtucket responded with four in the bottom half of the inning on bases loaded walks to Lars Anderson and Mauro Gomez as well as an RBI single by Nate Spears. The PawSox expanded their lead to 6-1 in the bottom of the second as Anderson's RBI single brought home two. After Norfolk trimmed Pawtucket's lead to 6-5 in the top of the fourth, Anderson hit a towering two run home run and Josh Kroeger added a solo shot to give the PawSox a 9-5 advantage. Pawtucket added singular runs in the seventh and eighth on a Ryan Lavarnway RBI single and a Gomez solo home run. The two teams combined for 31 hits and 5 home runs in the offensive struggle. Every member of the PawSox lineup had at least one hit with Anderson leading the way with a 2 for 4 evening with a home run and 5 RBI.
Portland’s contest against the Harrisburg Senators (WAS) was postponed due to rain. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader tomorrow evening beginning at 6:00 PM.
Salem’s matchup with the Lynchburg Hillcats (ATL) was also postponed due to rain. The series will shift to Lynchburg tomorrow and the teams will play a doubleheader. The twin bill will be one of four doubleheaders for the Red Sox in the next 11 days.
Greenville’s pitching faltered as they were squashed by the Savannah Sand Gnats (NYM), 12-2. Madison Younginer struggled as he dropped to 1-5 on the season, tossing 4.1 innings, allowing 4 runs on 8 hits and 6 walks. Justin Erasmus followed Younginer with 1.2 innings of relief, allowing 3 runs on 2 hits and a walk. Tyler Lockwood did not fare much better in his 2.0 innings out of the bullpen, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and a walk. Tyler Wilson came on in the ninth, allowing 2 unearned runs on 3 hits. The Drive grabbed a 1-0 lead in the fourth as Blake Swihart laced an RBI double. The Sand Gnats quickly erased Greenville’s lead, plating 5 runs in the top of fifth. The Drive responded in the bottom half of the fifth, plating a run on a Henry Ramos RBI ground out. Despite having multiple scoring chances, Greenville did not bring home any more runs as Savannah notched seven more runs to run away with the 12-2 victory. Boss Moanaroa was 3 for 5 with 2 doubles to lead the Drive offense.
Player of the Night: Lars Anderson, who went 2 for 4 with a home run, 2 runs scored, 5 RBI and a walk in Pawtucket's 11-8 victory over Norfolk.