September 3, 2021 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Mayer homers, Greenville throws combined no-hitter
9/3 Cup of Coffee: Four pitchers combined to no-hit Asheville for the Drive, led by Jeremy Wu-Yelland's dominant start. Greenville's offense was also terrific, led by Christian Koss' big day. Franchy Cordero (pictured) had a monster game in Worcester's blowout win, while Salem put up 13 runs and got a great outing from Shane Drohan in the first of their two wins. Marcelo Mayer also belted another home run for the FCL Sox in their rain-shorted win.
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Franchy Cordero led Worcester's 10-run attack, going 3 for 4 with a double, a home run, and two walks. He scored three times and drove in four, and raised his Worcester OPS to .909. The Sox took 11 walks in this one, with Joey Meneses and Josh Ockimey each picking up a single, a double, and a pair of free passes. Grant Williams also had a big night with two hits, including a triple, a walk, and three RBI. Alex Claudio started on the mound and surrendered two runs in three innings, striking out three and not allowing a free pass. Seth Blair and Zack Kelly each had dominant relief outings, with Blair striking out four in three shutout innings and Kelly tossing two hitless innings with three strikeouts. Jose Adames closed it out with a scoreless ninth.
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It was a dominant performance on the mound, led by Brayan Bello, who started and gave up one unearned run in 3 2/3 innings. He struck out three. Denyi Reyes followed with 3 2/3 shutout innings of his own, with four strikeouts and no walks. Tyler Olson got the final two outs of the eighth, and Frank German picked up his first save with a hitless ninth that included two strikeouts. Portland had just seven hits and scored two of their three runs on a sacrificed fly and a wild pitch. Hudson Potts hit his 12th double of the year, and Ronaldo Hernandez and Tyreque Reed each went 2 for 4.
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Jeremy Wu-Yelland, Jose Espada, Oddanier Mosqueda, and Jacob Wallace combined to no-hit the Tourists with 15 strikeouts. Wu-Yelland went the first five and struck out nine in what was his first outing with Greenville. Espada followed with two innings, striking out a pair, while Mosqueda and Wallace each tossed an inning, with Mosqueda striking out the side. Christian Koss and Stephen Scott led the offense, as Koss went 3 for 4 with his 12th home run, and Scott homered, doubled, and knocked in three runs. Brandon Howlett went 2 for 4 with a double, and Nick Yorke singled and walked in four trips.
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Shane Drohan was brilliant in this start, allowing one run in five innings with nine strikeouts and no walks. The 22-year old lowered his ERA to 3.89 on the year in 78 2/3 innings. Jacob Webb closed this one out with two hitless frames. Shortstop Matthew Lugo was the offensive standout, going 2 for 3 with a home run, a double, three runs, and three RBI. Tyler McDonough also had a big game with a pair of two-baggers in our trips to the plate. Angel Maita contributed with a 3-for-4 performance that included a double. Ceddanne Rafaela also tripled for the eighth time this season.
This was a back-and-forth game all the way, with at least one run scored in 11 of the 14 half-innings. Salem ended up winning in dramatic fashion, scoring two in the bottom of the seventh. Jonathan Diaz did the honors with a walk-off single. Ceddanne Rafaela, Nick Northcut, and Tyler McDonough each doubled, and Nick Decker went 2 for 3 with a walk. Bradley Blalock started and gave up three runs in 3 1/3 innings with four strikeouts and three walks. Jordan DiValerio was good in relief, allowing two runs (one earned) with four strikeouts and no walks in 2 2/3 frames. Devon Roedahl added a pair of strikeouts in the seventh inning.
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Miguel Ugueto went off in this one, falling just a single shy of the cycle. His double was his 11th, his triple was his second, and his home run was his second. He is now hitting .350 with a .947 OPS in his first taste of professional baseball. Marcelo Mayer stayed hot as well, going 2 for 4 with his third home run of the year. He now has a .961 OPS on the year. Karson Simas homered, and Phillip Sikes and Darel Belen each had a single and a double. Angel Bastardo gave up five runs (three earned) in the first two innings, but Reidis Sena came in and was terrific, striking out four without a walk in three scoreless frames.
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Alvaro Mejias and Efren Diaz were both solid on the mound, as Mejias struck out three without walking anybody in two scoreless innings. Diaz allowed one earned run in three innings with three strikeouts. The Sox were able to score seven runs on just five hits. Karim Ayubi and Axel James each doubled home a run, while Albertson Asigen singled, walked, and drove in two.
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Jhostynxon Garcia blasted his second home run of the season, as well as driving in two runs and taking a walk. Ronny Ramirez and Sebastian Guerra each picked up two hits. Royman Blanco started and allowed two runs on six hits in four innings, striking out two and walking one.
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Player of the Day: Miguel Ugueto is having an incredible season for the FCL Sox, belting three more extra-base hits yesterday. The 19-year old was signed as an international free agent in August of 2019. He has 15 extra-base hits in 100 at-bats this year, and has at least two hits in three straight games.
Photo Credit: Franchy Cordero by Kelly O'Connor