June 17, 2012 at 6:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Bogaerts, Lavarnway, and Anderson continue recent dominance
6/17 Cup of Coffee: Pawtucket won its fourth game in-a-row, Portland's offense was silent, and Salem, Greenville, and the DSL Red Sox all came away with victories.
 |
| Ryan Lavarnway (Dave Letizi) |
The PawSox used a five-run sixth inning to defeat the Buffalo Bisons (NYM), 8-5. Billy Buckner started, going 5.0 innings and allowing five runs on seven hits. Junichi Tazawa followed him and did not allow a hit in 3.0 scoreless innings. Mark Prior earned his first save of the season by pitching a perfect ninth, striking out two. Ryan Lavarnway and Lars Anderson each hit an RBI single in the third inning to give the PawSox a temporary lead. The PawSox were down by three in the top of the sixth, but erupted for five runs in the inning. Lavarnway hit a two-run double, and Anderson knocked him in with a single to cap off the scoring. Both players finished the game going 2 for 4 with a walk and three RBI to continue their scorching Junes. Cody Ross began his rehab assignment as the designated hitter, going 1 for 3 with a walk.
The Richmond Flying Squirrels (SF) got their revenge on the Sea Dogs, beating them 3-1. Making his first appearance since May 27th, Chris Martin pitched 4.0 innings allowing one run on three hits, walking one and striking out four. Down 3-0 in the sixth, Oscar Tejeda singled home Jeremy Hazelbaker to put the Sea Dogs on the board. The hit was only Tejeda's second in the past seven games. Hazelbaker went 0 for 2 with two walks, but also struck out two times. Newly-signed Marquez Smith made his debut, going 1 for 4 with a single.
 |
| Xander Bogaerts (Dave Letizi) |
Salem hit its way to victory, edging the Carolina Mudcats (CLE) 8-6. Miguel Celestino started the game but was hit hard. He exited after allowing five runs in 3.2 innings, walking four and striking out five. Salem kept pace with the Mudcats, scoring two runs in the second, and then adding two more in the third on a Travis Shaw home run. Shaw went 3 for 5 with a double and a home run, his fourth home run in the last nine games. Down one run in the bottom of the seventh, Salem strung together four two-out singles to take a 7-6 lead. Xander Bogaerts' game-tying single was his fourth single of the day, and he finished 4 for 4 with two RBI. Winston-Salem won its game on Saturday, clinching the first-half Southern Division title.
The Greenville Drive swatted away the Augusta GreenJackets (SFG) with an easy 9-2 victory. After allowing eight runs in 7.0 innings to begin the season with Salem, Scott Swinson has now allowed eight runs in 45.1 innings with Greenville after surrendering only one run in 5.0 innings on Saturday night. The Drive began to break the game open in the third after scoring three runs, two of which scored on a Boss Moanaroa double. David Renfroe added an RBI double in the fifth to give the Drive a commanding lead. Renfroe went 2 for 4 with two doubles and a walk. It was a well balanced attack for the Drive, with seven different players collecting at least one RBI.
The DSL Red Sox continued their winning ways, beating the DSL Marlins (MIA) 6-4. Down 4-3 in the top of the ninth, the Red Sox scored three runs to take the lead. Alixon Suarez singled home Manuel Margot to tie the game, and Aneudis Peralta hit a two-run double to give the Red Sox the lead. Suarez led the offense, going 3 for 5 with two doubles, while Margot went 3 for 5 with a double and his tenth steal of the season.
Player of the Night: Xander Bogaerts continued his impressive season with a 4 for 4 performance on Saturday. Bogaerts has really turned it on in June, batting .365/.446/.667 to bring his season line up to .293/.363/.485. After Will Middlebrooks graduates from prospect status on June 22nd, Bogaerts will battle with teammate Matt Barnes to see who becomes the top prospect in the system.