May 16, 2012 at 9:16 AM
Cup of Coffee: Kroeger and Iglesias power Pawtucket
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| Josh Kroeger (Kelly O'Connor) |
5/16 Cup of Coffee: Strong offensive outputs led each affiliate to a win on Tuesday. The lone loss of the evening came as Salem dropped the second game of their doubleheader.
A combination of a quick offensive start and steady pitching allowed Pawtucket to roar past the Durham Bulls (TB), 8-2. Brandon Duckworth moved to 5-0 on the season as he tossed 6.0 innings, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits while punching out 4. Garrett Mock added 2.0 scoreless innings of relief, walking a batter and striking out 1. Mark Melancon pitched a flawless ninth inning to extend his scoreless inning streak to 12. The PawSox jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first on a Josh Kroeger three run home run. Jose Iglesias lined a two run home run in the second inning to give Pawtucket a 5-0 advantage. Leading 5-2 in the fifth, the PawSox extended their lead to 6-2 on a Che-Hsuan Lin RBI single. In the ninth, Ryan Lavarnway’s RBI double brought home two insurance runs as Pawtucket extended their lead, 8-2. Iglesias and Kroeger were each 3 for 5 with a home run to lead the PawSox offense.
A five run second inning and steady relief pitching pushed Portland past the Reading Phillies (PHI), 8-5. Anthony Ranaudo made his 2012 debut, hurling 4.0 innings, allowing 4 runs on 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 2. Jeremy Kehrt picked up the victory for his 4.0 innings of work, allowing 1 run on 3 hits and a walk, punching out 2. Caleb Clay notched his third save for a scoreless ninth inning. Down 1-0 in the second, Portland’s offensive plated five runs on a Reynaldo Rodriguez solo home run, Matt Spring two run home run, a throwing error and an Oscar Tejeda RBI ground out. In the fourth, Kolbrin Vitek’s RBI double extended Portland’s lead, 6-1. Reading quickly chipped away at the five run lead as they brought home three runs in the bottom of the fourth and one in the fifth to pull to within a run, 6-5. In the eighth, Tejeda provided some insurance as his RBI double brought home two to extend the Sea Dogs lead, 8-5. Every member of the Sea Dogs line up reached base except for Ronald Bermudez, who was 0 for 5.
In the first game of a doubleheader, Salem’s offense outlasted Carolina’s as the Red Sox slipped past the Mud Cats (CLE), 8-6. Miguel Celestino started for Salem, hurling 4.0 innings, allowing 5 runs on 6 hits and a walk, striking out 4. Marco Duarte picked up his first victory of 2012, providing 2.0 innings of relief, allowing 1 run on 2 hits while striking out 4. Michael Olmstead picked up his seventh save for a scoreless seventh inning. Sean Coyle wasted no time providing a spark for the Red Sox, blasting a two run home run in the first to give Salem a quick 2-0 lead. After Carolina tied the game in the bottom of the second, Salem responded with five runs in the third on RBI doubles by Michael Almanzar and Shannon Wilkerson as well as a throwing error by the Mud Cats catcher. Wilkerson provided another RBI double in the fifth, giving the Red Sox an 8-2 advantage. The Mud Cats rallied for four runs in the bottom of the fifth to pull to within two, but were held in check the rest of the contest. Almanzar, Wilkerson and Adalberto Ibarra each had two hits to pace the Red Sox.
Unlike game one, Salem’s offense only mustered three hits as they fell 4-1 to Carolina. Brandon Workman dropped to 2-1 for his 3.2 inning effort, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6. Keith Couch followed Workman and provided 1.1 innings of flawless relief. Jeremiah Bayer added an inning of relief, allowing an unearned run on 2 hits, striking out 3. Salem’s lone run of the contest came in the first inning on a Michael Almanzar RBI single.
Greenville used a five run fourth inning and another solid start from Miguel Pena to brush back the Asheville Tourists (COL), 8-2. Pena moved to 3-2 as he tossed 6.0 innings, allowing 1 run on 2 hits and 3 walks, striking out 8. Scott Swinson added 2.0 innings of scoreless relief, allowing 2 hits and punching out 2. Nefi Ogando came on in the ninth, allowing 1 run on 2 hits and a walk. Down 1-0 in the third, Greenville tied the game on a Keury De La Cruz solo home run. In the fourth, the Drive expanded their lead to 6-1 on a Jose Vinicio RBI triple, RBI singles from De La Cruz and Garin Cecchini, a passed ball and an RBI double by Boss Moanaroa. A Bryan Johns sacrifice fly in the fifth and Cecchini solo home run in the sixth padded the Greenville lead, 8-1. Cecchini and Drew Turocy each had three hits to lead the Drive offense.
Player of the Night: Josh Kroeger, who went 3 for 5 with a home run, 2 doubles, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored in Pawtucket’s 8-2 victory over Durham.