Cup of Coffee: Kapstein paces Salem, Owens punches out nine

7/11 Cup of Coffee: It was a difficult night on the farm as just two of the eight affiliates in action were victorious. Pawtucket, Portland, Greenville, Lowell and both DSL squads were on the wrong side of the box score Friday. Salem was aided by strong defense and a strong offensive performance, and the GCL Red Sox used a five run sixth inning to bring home a win.

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Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 4, Pawtucket Red Sox 2

Henry Owens pitched well in a no decision, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks in seven innings of work. The left-hander threw 66 of his 95 pitches for strikes, punching out nine IronPig hitters. Pat Light relieved Owens and struggled in his 1 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on a hit and four walks, taking his second loss of the season. Light struggled to find the plate, throwing just 17 of his 44 pitches for strikes. 

The PawSox offense plated both of their runs in the first inning on a Rusney Castillo RBI single. The 2-0 lead would hold up until the sixth, when Lehigh Valley tied the game. Castillo also stole two bases, leaving him with 10 on the season. Quintin Berry stole his 28th base of the season, good enough to place him in a tie for the International League lead. 

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Binghamton Mets (NYM) 7, Portland Sea Dogs 3

Justin Haley had a rough evening on the mound, allowing six runs on 11 hits in just two innings, falling to 3-10 on the season. The Sea Dogs plated runs in each of the first three innings on a Jantzen Witte RBI single, a David Chester RBI single, and an RBI triple from Henry Ramos. The Mets have won all seven contests played in Portland this season. 

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Salem Red Sox 5, Frederick Keys (BAL) 2

Kevin McAvoy improved to 5-7 on the season, tossing six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks, punching out four. Kyle Kaminska collected his second save, hurling three scoreless innings of relief.

Down 1-0 in the third, Zach Kapstein (pictured, above) smacked a solo home run to tie the game. In the fourth, a Mario Martinez RBI double and a Mauricio Dubon RBI single gave the Red Sox a 3-1 advantage. Salem would widen that lead in the fifth, plating two more runs on a run scoring ground out from Tzu-Wei Lin, and an RBI single from Yolian Cerse. The Red Sox turned an impressive five double plays, helping to quash a number of Frederick rallies.  

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Asheville Tourists (COL) 9, Greenville Drive 6

Four costly errors came back to bite the Drive as they dropped their third straight to Asheville. Jeffry Fernandez received the start, tossing four innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits and two walks. Mario Alcantara added two innings of relief, allowing a run on four hits and two walks. Kuehl McEachern allowed two unearned runs in his two innings out of the bullpen.

Carlos Mesa and Michael Chavis each hit a two-run home run. Mike Meyers and Nick Longhi added RBI doubles to account for the remainder of Greenville's scoring. Rafael Devers went 4 for 4, raising his average 10 points from .284 to .294. 

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West Virginia Black Bears (PIT) 3, Lowell Spinners 0

Dioscar Romero took the loss despite allowing just one run on three hits and a walk in his 5 2/3 innings of work. Logan Boyd added two innings of relief, allowing two runs on four hits and two walks.

The Spinners mustered only three hits, striking out ten times on the evening. Entering the contest, Lowell was hitting just .184 for the month of July. 

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GCL Red Sox 5, GCL Twins 1

A five run sixth inning propelled the Red Sox to their 13th victory of the early season. Gerson Bautista pitched well, allowing just one run on two hits and a walk in five innings of work. Bautista struck out six hitters, a season high. Kyle Martin picked up the victory, throwing two scoreless inning of relief, allowing just one hit and striking out three.

Down 1-0 in the sixth, the Red Sox took advantage of two hit batsmen and an error, plating runs on RBI singles from Yoan Aybar and Jagger Rusconi, as well as on a wild pitch. 

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DSL Giants 12, DSL Red Sox1 3

It was a tough day for Red Sox pitching, as the DSL Red Sox1 dropped to 12-24 on the season. Jhosmar Cortez picked up the loss, allowing five runs on four hits in just 2 1/3 innings. William Caraballo did not fare any better, allowing five runs on four hits and two walks in his lone inning of work.

Marino Campana, Eddy Reynoso, and Luis Yovera all had two hits to lead the Red Sox offense. 

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DSL Tigers 4, DSL Red Sox2 3

Denyi Reyes received the start for the Red Sox and pitched well, allowing a run on three hits in six innings. Marcos Lantigua added two innings of relief, allowing two runs on three hits. Victor Diaz took the loss, allowing the game's winning run to score in the ninth.

Down 3-0 in the eighth, the Red Sox used RBI singles from Lorenzo Cedrola, Stanley Espinal, and Juan Barriento to tie the game. Unfortunately, the tie was short lived as the Tigers plated a run in the top of the ninth to ultimately secure the victory. 

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Player of the Night: Although it was a tough night overall on the farm, Zach Kapstein helped Salem pull out a victory. The 23-year-old outfielder was 2 for 3 with a solo home run and two stolen bases in the Red Sox 5-2 victory over Frederick. Kapstein, drafted in the 44th round of the 2010 amateur draft, is hitting .290/.361/.419 with a home run and four RBI in ten games this season between Lowell and Salem. 

Photo Credit: Zach Kapstein by Kelly O'Connor

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