June 22, 2019 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Casas goes deep; Wilson, Diaz lead Salem
6/22 Cup of Coffee: The Drive put together a complete game, as Triston Casas homered and the pitching staff tossed a shutout. Marcus Wilson also had a huge night, collecting four hits in two games for Salem. C.J. Chatham had a big night at the dish as well for Portland. Jhonathan Diaz (pictured) also pitched well for Salem.
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All three PawSox runs came on one swing, as Sam Travis belted a two-out, three-run home run in the third inning. Pawtucket only had three other hits, all singles. Kyle Hart went six innings, but took the loss. He surrendered four runs (three earned) on 11 hits with just two strikeouts. Jordan Weems threw two scoreless innings with two strikeouts and no walks. Trevor Kelley also tossed a clean ninth.
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Portland fought back from an early 7-1 deficit to take an 8-7 lead, but let it slip away in extra innings, as Matthew Gorst gave up three runs in the 10th. Dedgar Jimenez struggled, lasting just 2 1/3 innings and giving up seven runs (six earned). Daniel McGrath was terrific out of the bullpen, throwing 3 2/3 innings without allowing a walk or a hit with four strikeouts. C.J. Chatham and Tate Matheny each went 3 for 5 with two RBI, with Chatham roping a pair of doubles. Joey Curletta went 2 for 5 with his third home run and Brett Netzer added a couple knocks.
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Salem started the night by completing the game that was suspended yesterday. Charlie Madden had a good night, going 2 for 4 with two doubles. Victor Acosta, Marcus Wilson, and Garrett Benge all had two hits and a double as well. Dylan Thompson picked up for Daniel Gonzalez and took the loss, allowing 11 hits and five runs in just 3 2/3 innings. Rio Gomez had a good night in relief with 2 1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts and no free passes.
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Jhonathan Diaz dazzled for the Sox, going the first six innings without allowing a run. He only allowed two runs, three walks, and struck out eight. Zach Schellenger struggled, surrendering three runs in the seventh, but Salem was still able to hold on. Marcus Wilson reached in all three of his plate appearances with a walk, a single, and his fourth long ball of the year. He also added a stolen base. Nick Lovullo also went 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI.
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Pitching and Triston Casas got it done for Greenville, as Chris Machamer, Oddanier Mosqueda, and Alex Demchak combined for a shutout. Machamer started and went six innings, allowing just two hits and three walks with five strikeouts to grab his third win of the year. Mosqueda went two and stuck out one while Demchak closed it out in the ninth. Casas stayed hot by going 2 for 5 with his 13th home run of the year and two RBI. Everlouis Lozada had two doubles, while Kole Cottam, Jordan Wren, and Brandon Howlett each added two knocks.
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Lowell Spinners @ Connecticut Tigers (DET), Postponed
Lowell was postponed due to rain and will make it up today as part of a doubleheader beginning at 5:05 PM.
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Gabriel Jackson pitched four solid innings to start the game, as he did not allow a run with three strikeouts. Nixson Munoz also pitched well out of the bullpen with three shutout frames. Eduardo Vaughn had a big game with three hits including a double and two RBI. Carlos Sanchez and Erick Flores each had two hits as well.
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Carlos Reyes and Jose Ramirez struggled, allowing seven runs combined, but Efren Diaz pitched well in his three innings where he allowed just one run with two strikeouts and no walks. The Sox had just four hits, with Elio Prado collecting two of them while adding a walk and an RBI.
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Player of the Night: Marcus Wilson reached base five times in seven trips to the plate over two games. He went 4 for 6 with a walk, a double, and a home run. After struggling with Portland, Wilson has found his swing in Salem. He's hitting .329/.411/.585 with 12 extra-base hits in 26 games for Salem.
Photo Credit: Jhonathan Diaz by Kelly O'Connor