Cup of Coffee: Hernandez strikes out nine to lead Pawtucket

6/9 Cup of Coffee: It was a wild day on the farm, with three games being decided on walk-off hits. Derrik Gibson was the hero for Portland, while Salem and Greenville were on the wrong end of the comebacks. Chris Hernandez (pictured) was dominant for Pawtucket, carrying a no-hitter into the seventh.

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Behind a terrific performance from Chris Hernandez, the PawSox defeated the Louisville Bats (CIN), 4-3. Hernandez went the first 7 1/3 innings, allowing only one run on one hit, walking two and striking out nine. He carried a no-hitter into the seventh, when he allowed a leadoff single to Joey Votto (CIN), but that was all the damage the Bats could do. Hernandez picked up his third win of the season, and has now gone at least seven innings in two of his last three starts. 

Mookie Betts was on base three times, going 1 for 3 with two walks, and pushed his average up to .292 in Pawtucket. Dan Butler went 2 for 3 with a double and a walk, and Mike McCoy went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI. 

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Portland came back late, and walked off with a 5-4 victory over the Bowie Baysox (BAL). Mike Augliera was cruising until the seventh, when he allowed three hits and two runs to allow Bowie to take a two-run lead. Miguel Celestino pitched two perfect innings to pick up his first win of the season.

Down 4-2 entering the bottom of the eighth, Bo Greenwell walked and came in to score on a Derrik Gibson double. Deven Marrero then tied the game, driving in Gibson with an RBI single. With the score still tied in the tenth, Jonathan Roof walked, moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt, and scored the winning run on a Gibson single. Gibson, Marrero, and Sean Coyle all had two hits, with Coyle slugging a double and a home run.

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After scoring seven times in the first, Salem lost a heartbreaker, as the Lynchburg Hillcats (ATL), walked off with a 12-11 victory. It was a tough day for the Salem pitchers, with Corey Littrell, Kyle Stroup, and Kyle Kraus all giving up at least three runs, with Littrell surrendering six in 3 2/3 innings, and Stroup and Kraus each allowing three over the final five innings. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Kraus allowed three straight singles as the Hillcats escaped with the win.

Mario Martinez went 2 for 4 and clubbed a three-run home run to lead the offense. Mike Miller, Kevin Heller, and Aneury Tavarez all had two hits as well, with Miller and Heller adding walks. Tim Roberson was on base four times via a double and three walks, but it was not enough for Salem. After scoring seven times in the first and four times in the fourth, they could not push another run across the rest of the way. 

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An early Drive lead evaporated, and the Rome Braves (ATL) hit a walk-off home run to win, 5-4. Joe Gunkel got the start, allowing three runs in 6 1/3 innings, walking three and striking out five. Mike Adams picked up the loss after allowing the tying run in the seventh and then the winning run in the ninth. 

Jordan Weems went 2 for 3, and he was the only Drive batter with multiple hits on the day. Forrestt Allday was 1 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored, and Wendell Rijo went 1 for 3 with two runs driven in. 

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Player of the Day: Chris Hernandez set a career high with nine strikeouts, as he stifled Louisville en route to his third win of the season. Hernandez lowered his ERA to 3.16 in 15 appearances (six starts), and has allowed less than one hit per inning this season. 

Photo Credit: Chris Hernandez by Kelly O'Connor

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