June 4, 2015 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Asuaje plays hero in Portland's thrilling win
6/4 Cup of Coffee: Pawtucket and Greenville were unable to provide much of anything on the offensive side in their losses, but Portland and the DSL Red Sox won in dramatic fashion. Carlos Asuaje (pictured) picked up a clutch, game-tying base hit in the ninth inning after the Sea Dogs received solid pitching. The DSL Red Sox also got some great pitching in their 14-inning affair that saw the Red Sox edge out the DSL Rockies by a run. Kyle Kraus made his debut on the mound for the PawSox and pitched well.
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It was a very quiet afternoon for the PawSox in Scranton as the RailRiders cruised to a 5-1 victory. Miguel Celestino started for Pawtucket in place of Brian Johnson, who was scratched from his scheduled start because of his workload. Celestino went three innings, giving up just one earned run. Dayan Diaz came on in relief and ran into trouble, allowing four earned runs in his 2 1/3 innings of work. Pawtucket added right-hander Kyle Kraus from Portland yesterday, and he found himself in a game right away. He tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out two and walking none. Catcher Matt Spring provided the offense for the PawSox, blasting a solo shot for his fourth home run of the season. Quintin Berry swiped his 17th and 18th stolen bases of the season.
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The Sea Dogs headed into the bottom of the ninth inning down 3-1, but that changed in a heartbeat. A one-out single by Blake Tekotte was followed by Marco Hernandez's 10th double of the season. That put runners on second and third and set the stage for Carlos Asuaje, who promptly roped a single up the middle that scored both runs and tied the game. A Richmond error followed and allowed Asuaje to score the game-winning run from second.
Luis Diaz battled through 5 2/3 innings and finished his day giving up three runs (two earned) on seven hits, two walks, and three strikeouts. Madison Younginer followed Diaz by going 2 1/3 scoreless innings without allowing a walk or a hit. Jorge Marban grabbed the win after throwing a scoreless ninth inning.
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The Drive bats went silent last night, mustering just four hits and going 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position. The Drive had chances to score thanks to four errors committed by the Intimidators, but they were unable to capitalize. Nick Longhi smacked his 11th double of the season in a 1 for 4 showing at the plate. Catcher Jordan Procyshen went 0 for 4, but was able to knock in two runs to push his RBI total to 20 for the season. Reed Reilly turned in a nice outing for the Drive by going six innings and allowing just two earned runs. He struck out four and walked just one batter. Michael Gunn took the loss in relief.
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After allowing 23 runs to the Rockies two nights ago, the DSL Red Sox pitching staff settled down and faired much better on this night. The game lasted 14 innings and the Red Sox were able to snag a one-run victory. Eduard Bazardo started and went four innings without allowing an earned run and striking out five. Hildemaro Requena had the only bump in the road, allowing two earned runs over 4 2/3 innings. Shair Lacrus and Juan Perez combined for 5 1/3 innings of scoreless, one-hit ball and gave the Red Sox a chance to win. Eduard Conde and Dawill Aponte each had a pair of hits and Jesus Perez added his first home run of the season.
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Player of the Night: Carlos Asuaje was the hero for Portland. He delivered the game-tying two-run single in the bottom of the ninth that led to a victory. He finished his night 2 for 5 at the plate. Asuaje is ranked 20th at SoxProspects.com, and came into the night batting .266/.375/.412.
Photo Credit: Carlos Asuaje by Kelly O'Connor