Cup of Coffee: Salem, Greenville stun opponents

6/2 Cup of Coffee: The PawSox and Sea Dogs were both rained out, but Salem and Greenville both had dominant performances in huge wins.

Pawtucket's road game against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) was rained out and postponed. There will be a doubleheader tonight, with game one expected to start at 5:35 PM.

Portland was also rained out on the road last night. Their matchup against the Altoona Curve (PIT) has been rescheduled, and the teams will play a doubleheader tonight, starting at 6:00 PM.

Salem hosted the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (TEX) and came up with a big 12-4 win. The Pelicans picked up the first run of the game in the first inning against Red Sox pitcher Miguel Celestino. Salem bats answered with a storm of runs over the next three innings. Michael Almanzar and Christian Vazquez started off the second inning with a pair of walks. Sean Coyle then grounded into a force-out that advanced Almanzar and Vazquez to second and third, respectively. A Jackie Bradley double drove in two runs, followed by a Matty Johnson single that drove in Bradley. The Pelicans put up three runs of their own in the top of the third, but the Red Sox tied it up that same inning with a home run from Brandon Jacobs. In the bottom of the fourth, Salem broke the tie wide open when they put up 5 runs. Vazquez drew a walk to begin the inning, and scored on a Coyle double. Coyle advanced to third, and was driven in when Drew Hedman grounded out. Bradley banged out a double, followed by a Johnson single. With runners on the corners, Travis Shaw singled to score Bradley and advance Johnson to third. A Jacobs grounder helped get Shaw out at second, but drove in Johnson. Xander Bogaerts drove in the last run of the inning when he doubled to send Jacobs across the plate. Celestino helped to keep the Pelicans scoreless until he was replaced in the seventh. He pitched 6.0 innings with 7 hits, 4 runs, and a walk. Michael Gleason took the mound in the top of the seventh, shutting down the Myrtle Beach offense for the remainder of the game pitching 3.0 innings for 2 hits, no runs, no walks, and 4 strikeouts. The Red Sox put up three more runs in the bottom of the eighth. Johnson reached base on a throwing error and advanced to second on a wild pitch during the next at-bat. Shaw drew a walk and Jacobs hit into a double play that advanced Johnson to third. Bogaerts singled to drive in Johnson, and an Almanzar double drove Bogaerts to third. Vazquez then doubled to drive in the last two runs of the game. Almost every member of the Salem lineup had 2 hits on the night, except for Hedman who didn't have any and Vazquez who only had 1.

Jose Vinicio (Kelly O'Connor)

Greenville showed a dominant presence with a 13-3 win when they hosted the Charleston RiverDogs (NYY). The Drive started things off offensively with 5 runs in the bottom of the first. Bryan Johns kicked things off with a double, followed by four walks in a row from Garin Cecchini, Boss Moanaroa, Henry Ramos and Lucas LeBlanc. The walks forced in Johns and Cecchini and kept the bases loaded. Jordan Weems singled to drive in Moanaroa, followed by a Jose Vinicio single that scored Ramos and LeBlanc. Another run came in the bottom of the second inning when Cecchini doubled, stole third base, and scored when Moanaroa reached base on a fielder's choice. Drive starter Yeiper Castillo got into a bit of trouble in the fourth, but managed to keep the RiverDogs to three runs. Greenville answered with four runs in the bottom half of that frame. Moanaroa drew a walk to begin the inning and advanced to second on a passed ball during the next at bat. LeBlanc was hit by a pitch and took base, followed by a Weems single that loaded the bases. Vinicio doubled to drive in Moanaroa and LeBlanc, followed by a Johns double that also drove in 2 runs. Castillo came out of the game after the fifth, having pitched 5.0 innings for 3 hits, 3 runs, and 3 walks. Justin Erasmus took the mound for the Drive in the sixth, and pitched 3.0 innings with 1 hit, no runs, 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts. Blake Swihart added to the Drive's lead with a solo home run in the sixth. Johns doubled in the seventh, followed by a ground out from Keury De La Cruz that advanced Johns to third. Cecchini grounded out but drove in Johns, which was followed by a home run by Moanaroa to make the score 13-3. Charle Rosario took the mound for the Drive in the ninth inning and shut down the Charleston batters, with no hits, no runs, and no walks. Greenville batters put up 13 hits overall in the contest, with Johns and Vinicio leading the pack with 3 each.

Player of the Night: Jose Vinicio, who's two doubles helped drive in runs and contribute to the Drive's 13-3 win over the Charleston RiverDogs. Vinicio led Greenville batters with 3 hits and 4 RBI on the night.

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