May 27, 2015 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Roof and Tekotte go back-to-back in Portland win
5/27 Cup of Coffee: It was a slow night on the farm, with Salem having a scheduled day off and Greenville getting rained out. The PawSox dropped a tough one to the RailRiders despite Allen Craig and Jackie Bradley Jr. sparking a late comeback, while Portland got contributions from every starter, including back-to-back home runs from Jonathan Roof and Blake Tekotte (pictured), to top the Mets.
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The PawSox late comeback fell short, as they dropped their fourth straight game. Pawtucket faced an early deficit after the RailRiders got to Jess Todd for three runs in the second inning. Todd ultimately threw six innings and allowed four runs on nine hits, picking up his first loss of the year. Jonathan Aro and Robbie Ross Jr. kept them in the game with three innings of shutout relief.
Down by four in the seventh, Allen Craig led off with a single, and came around to score on a Luke Montz double. Mike Miller drove in Montz with a single, and then Jackie Bradley Jr. brought the PawSox to within one with an RBI single. With the tying run at second, Deven Marrero struck out to end the inning, and that was the last time they would get a runner in scoring position. Craig and Montz were the only players to reach base twice, with both collecting a hit and a walk.
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Every Portland batter reached base at least once, as the Sea Dogs used a well-balanced attack to defeat the Mets. Joe Gunkel was the main beneficiary of the run support, improving to 2-0 with Portland after throwing five innings of two-run ball. He allowed nine hits and a walk, but struck out three and benefited from three double plays. Pat Light closed the game out with 1 1/3 scoreless innings, and did not walk a batter after walking five in his previous two appearances.
The power for the Sea Dogs came from an unexpected source, as the last two hitters in the lineup, Jonathan Roof and Blake Tekotte, hit back-to-back home runs in the third inning. Marco Hernandez went 2 for 5 with a double and a triple, and Jantzen Witte doubled, walked, and drove in three runs.
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Greenville's game against the Augusta GreenJackets was rained out, and will be made up today as part of a doubleheader.
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Player of the Night: Blake Tekotte went 2 for 4 with a home run, driving in two runs and scoring two runs to lead the Sea Dogs. The 28-year-old appeared in parts of three season in the majors with the Padres and the White Sox, with his most recent experience coming in 2013. He is now batting .261 for the Sea Dogs, and his performance last night broke a 1-for-17 slump.
Photo Credit: Blake Tekotte by Kelly O'Connor