Cup of Coffee: Chris Marrero powers PawSox past IronPigs

5/5 Cup of Coffee: Three of the four affiliates reached the winner's circle Wednesday, as Pawtucket, Salem, and Greenville all had strong nights at the plate. In Salem, Andrew Benintendi extended his hitting streak to 22 games and Yoan Moncada ignited the offense from the top of the order. 

Pawtucket Red Sox 7, Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) 2

A late rally propelled the PawSox past Lehigh Valley. Brian Johnson received the start, but tossed just one inning, allowing two runs and three walks. Jorge Marban followed with four scoreless innings, and Roman Mendez picked up the victory with three scoreless inning out of the bullpen.

Down, 2-0, in the eighth, Pawtucket tied the game when Lehigh Valley committed a two-run error on a Chris Marrero (pictured, above) single. In the ninth, a Blake Swihart sacrifice fly gave the PawSox a 3-2 advantage. However. the big blow came when Marrero cracked a grand slam to clinch the win. Marrero was the star, going 3 for 5 with the grand slam and four RBI. 

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Binghamton Mets (NYM) 6, Portland Sea Dogs 3 (7 innings)

In a game shortened by the elements, a late offensive push helped Binghamton pull out the victory. Ty Buttrey took the mound for the Sea Dogs, hurling five innings and allowing two runs on six hits and a walk. Nik Turley took the loss, allowing four runs on three hits and three walks in just 1 2/3 innings. Portland got on the board in the second on a run-scoring error and added a run in the fourth on an Aneury Tavarez RBI ground out. After the Mets scored two in the fifth, the Sea Dogs responded with a run on a Kyle Johnson RBI ground out. Binghamton pulled ahead with two runs in both the sixth and the seventh before the game was called due to rain. 

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Salem Red Sox 9, Carolina Mudcats (ATL) 2

Dedgar Jimenez pitched masterfully against the Mudcats, picking up his first victory of the season. He went six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out three. Mario Alcantara picked up the save, allowing two runs on four hits in three innings. Andrew Benintendi extended his hitting streak to 22 games, going 2 for 4 with a triple and two RBI. Yoan Moncada had a big night from the leadoff spot, going 3 for 4 with two doubles and four runs scored. Mauricio Dubon also had a strong night, going 3 for 4 with two runs scored and an RBI. 

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Greenville Drive 6, Augusta GreenJackets (SF) 3

Marc Brakeman picked up his first professional win as Greenville rode a three-run sixth inning to a win. Brakeman pitched five innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out five. Bobby Poyner notched his fourth save, tossing two scoreless innings.

Mitchell Gunsolus smoked a two-run home run in the first inning to give the Drive a 2-1 lead. Greenville took a 3-1 advantage in the second on a Jeremy Rivera RBI single. Rivera and Gunsolus each had RBI singles in the sixth, and Luis Alejandro Basabe had an RBI triple.

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Player of the Night: Chris Marrero earns the honor after going 3 for 5 with a grand slam in Pawtucket's 7-2 victory over Lehigh Valley. Marrero has enjoyed night games this season, hitting .410/.477/.769 with three home runs and eight RBI in ten appearances. 

Photo Credit: Chris Marrero by Kelly O'Connor

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