October 1, 2021 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Wong, Matheny lead WooSox to wild win
10/1 Cup of Coffee: The WooSox survived a wild one in the Lehigh Valley, 10-9. The offense was on fire with 16 hits, nine of them for extra bases. They were led by Tate Matheny, Triston Casas, Connor Wong (pictured), and Jonathan Arauz. Both DSL teams lost but had a few solid offensive and pitching performances.
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Tate Matheny led the way from the bottom of the lineup, going 3 for 3 with a double, two walks, two RBI, and three runs scored. Triston Casas also roped a pair of double and knocked in a run. Jonathan Arauz also doubled twice and added a single in five trips to the plate. Connor Wong went 3 for 5 with his 13th double and eight long ball of the year. Jeter Down added two hits, a double, and three RBI, while Franchy Cordero picked up a single and a double.
Kutter Crawford had a shaky outing, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks in 3 2/3 frames. He struck out a pair. John Schreiber struck out three and did not allow a run in 2 1/3 innings, and Durbin Feltman pitched a clean eighth inning with one strikeout.
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Angel Lopez had a rough go on the mound, allowing four runs (three earned) in just one inning with no strikeouts and two walks. He was followed by Carlos Velez, who surrendered two runs in three innings, but struck out six and issued just one free pass. Carlos Reyes also struck out three in three innings of work, allowing two runs (one earned). The Sox offense did a nice job of putting the ball in play, striking out just one time in 30 trips to the plate. Alexis Hernandez had the only multi-hit game, going 2 for 4 with his seventh double of the year. Josue Castillo went 1 for 2 with a walk and an RBI, while Lyonell James and Johnfrank Salazar each went 1 for 3 with a walk.
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Starlin Santos managed to put together a nice start despite walking three and no striking anybody out. He ended up allowing just a run in four innings. Cesar Soto also struggled with baserunners, allowing five hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings, but he also limited his damage to one run. Allan Castro led the offense by going 2 for 4 with a double. Ahbram Liendo tripled for the fourth time this year and knocked in a run, while Helison Mota doubled and walked.
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Player of the Day: This was a close one, but Connor Wong takes it with a single, double, and a home run. The catcher continued his nice season with the bat in Worcester, raising his OPS to .745 with 21 extra-base hits. He has closed the month out strong, hitting .314/.340/.549 in September.
Photo Credit: Connor Wong by Kelly O'Connor