April 17, 2018 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Olt powers PawSox, Scherff shaky for Drive
4/17 Cup of Coffee: Of the PawSox nine hits in a victory over the Clippers, Mike Olt had four of them in a 4-for-4 showing. Two innings of scoreless and hitless relief got Kyle Martin the win while shaky pitching performances from starters Roniel Raudes and Alex Scherff resulted in losses for both Salem and Greenville.
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The PawSox mustered nine hits and took advantage of three Colombus errors en route to their fourth victory of the year. Sam Travis, Ivan De Jesus Jr., and Mike Olt (pictured, below) combined for eight of Pawtucket's nine hits, though Mike Miller made sure his lone hit counted for something as he launched a solo home run. Travis also added a home run as part of a 2-for-5 evening, but it was Olt who put on a real show, going 4 for 4 with three doubles and a home run. The offense bailed out a shaky start from William Cuevas, who allowed five runs on five hits and three walks in just four innings of work. Robby Scott allowed the final run Columbus run, and Ryan Brasier notched the save with two scoreless innings.
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The Sea Dogs' contest against Hartford was postponed due to rain. The contest will be made up today, as part of a single-admission doubleheader.
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The Red Sox were let down by some lackluster pitching performances as Roniel Raudes was hit hard for five runs on five hits and two walks in just 3 1/3 innings of work. Algenis Martinez was equally shaky, allowing three runs on five hits in his own 3 2/3 innings, while Jordan Weems allowed the final run on a hit and three walks in just 2/3 of an inning. Bobby Dalbec powered the offense, launching a two-run home run in the fifth inning, his third of the season. Tyler Hill went 2 for 4, and Santiago Espinal went 1 for 5 with the team's only other extra-base hit.
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Alex Scherff was roughed up for four runs on four hits in 4 1/3 innings of work as the 20-year-old right-hander had control issues and walked six hitters while throwing only 47 of his 84 pitches for strikes in a loss to the Fireflies. Scherff has allowed nine free passes so far in two starts and is sporting a 8.68 ERA and a 0-2 record. Shortstop Everlouis Lozada was the lone Drive to register multiple hits as a two-hit performance saw his average rise to .368 on the season.
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Player of the Night: It couldn't have gone much better for Mike Olt on Monday night as the 29-year-old belted three doubles in a 4-for-4 performance at the plate to pace the PawSox to a 9-6 win over the Clippers. Olt had four of the PawSox nine hits and now sports a .462 average with the Triple-A club, with six hits in 13 at-bats.
Tommy Cassell contributed to this post.
Photo Credit: Mike Olt by Kelly O'Connor