June 22, 2012 at 6:52 AM
Cup of Coffee: Renfroe and Hissey show offensive muscle, fuel victories for Portland and Greenville
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| Peter Hissey (Kelly O'Connor) |
6/22 Cup of Coffee: A strong night for the affiliates saw five victories as the Pawsox dropped a close contest and Salem was washed away by rain.
Despite outhitting the Chiefs, Pawtucket's bullpen allowed Syracuse (WAS) to claim a 3-1 victory. Billy Buckner received the start and was stellar in his 5.0 innings of work, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out a pair. Alex Wilson received the loss as he allowed two runs on three hits and a walk in 2.0 innings of relief. Mark Prior added an inning out of the bullpen, allowing a run on three walks, striking out one. The PawSox lone run of the contest came in the fifth, as Tony Thomas led off the inning with a solo home run. Pawtucket once again struggled with men on base, going 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position.
Four Harrisburg errors and a strong night from Peter Hissey allowed the Sea Dogs to brush past the Senators (WAS), 6-1. Chris Martin received the start and tossed 4.0 innings, allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out eight. Brock Huntzinger tossed a flawless 3.0 inning of relief to pick up the victory. With the game scoreless in the third, Portland plated three on RBI doubles by Jeremy Hazelbaker and Reynaldo Rodriguez. In the fourth, the Sea Dogs expanded their lead to 5-0 on a Hissey RBI triple and a run scoring wild pitch. Hissey would add an RBI double in the sixth that gave Portland a 6-1 advantage. Hissey had a huge night at the plate, going 3 for 3 with a double, triple, two runs scored and two RBI, falling just a home run short of the cycle.
Salem's contest against the Lynchburg Hillcats (ATL) was postponed by rain. The teams will play a doubleheader today starting at 6:05 PM.
A seven run eighth inning allowed Greenville to blast past the Charleston Riverdogs (NYY), 12-6. Noe Ramirez hurled 5.0 innings for the Drive, allowing four runs on seven hits, striking out two. Tyler Lockwood tossed 2.0 scoreless inning of relief to pick up the victory. Down 3-0 in the second, Greenville clawed to within one on a David Renfroe solo home run and a Leonel Escobar RBI ground out. In the fourth, the Drive took a 4-3 lead as Jose Vinicio and Keury De La Cruz laced RBI singles. Charleston would tie the contest in the fifth, and grabbed the lead back in the sixth, plating two runs to give them a 6-4 advantage. With the game still in Charleston's favor in the eighth, Greenville exploded for seven runs on a Drew Turocy RBI single, Garin Cecchini RBI double, Boss Moanaroa RBI single, Cody Koback RBI single, Escobar RBI double, and a Bryan Johns RBI single. Renfroe was 3 for 3 with a home run, RBI, two runs scored and two walks to lead the Drive's offense. He has turned a corner in June, hitting .327/.379/.442 after a pedestrian April and May.
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| David Renfroe (Kelly O'Connor) |
Lowell continued their hot start to 2012 as they once again clawed the Connecticut Tigers (DET), 10-3. Raynel Velette was outstanding in his 6.0 innings of work, allowing just one hit while striking out two. The Spinners wasted no time getting on the board in this contest, plating two runs in the first inning on a Kendrick Perkins RBI single and a run scoring wild pitch. In the third, Lowell brought home five runs on a Perkins RBI single, David Chester RBI single, a wild pitch and a Williams Jerez RBI single. The Spinners continued to pad their lead as they got an Oscar Perez sacrifice fly in the fifth and a Dreily Guerrero RBI double in the seventh to claim a 9-0 lead. The Tigers would finally break through for two in the eighth, but Lowell capped their scoring in the ninth with a Jason Thompson sacrifice fly as they cruised to the 10-3 victory. The Spinners compiled 15 hits as every member of the team reached base at least once.
A five run sixth inning allowed the GCL Red Sox to strike down the GCL Orioles (BAL), 6-1. Francellis Montas tossed the first 3.0 inning for the Red Sox, allowing a walk while striking out one. Sully Bonnelly received the victory for his 4.0 inning of work, allowing a run on four hits, striking out four. The Red Sox jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second, as Jeremias Pineda laced an RBI double. The Red Sox expanded their lead to 6-0 in the sixth on RBI singles from Pineda, Nick Moore and Kevin Mager, as well as a run scoring wild pitch and an RBI double from Ynoel Aguero. The Orioles scored a run in the seventh, but were held in check the rest of the contest. Pineda was 3 for 3 with a double and two RBI to lead the Red Sox offense.
Despite only collecting three hits, the DSL Red Sox sank the DSL Pirates1 (PIT), 3-1. Keivin Heras sparkled in his 6.0 inning of work, allowing just two hits while striking out four. Leonel Vazquez retired one hitter in the ninth to pick up his third save. The Red Sox plated all of their runs in the third on a Robert Del Rosario RBI single and a costly error by the Pirates shortstop that allowed two runs to scamper home. The DSL Red Sox now find themselves tied with the DSL Mets2 for first place with an 11-6 record.
Players of the Night: Peter Hissey, who went 3 for 3 with a double, triple, two runs scored and two RBI in Portland's 6-1 victory and David Renfroe, who went 3 for 3 with a home run, RBI, two runs scored and two walks in Greenville's 12-6 win.