May 15, 2022 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Northcut's 14th home run sparks Greenville comeback
5/15 Cup of Coffee: There were some exciting wins down on the farm last night, as Salem won in extra innings and Greenville erased a six-run deficit on their way to a win. Nick Northcut (pictured) went deep yet again for Grenville and Eddinson Paulino drove in the winning run for Salem. Worcester nearly had a six-run comeback of their own, as Ryan Fitzgerald and Jonathan Arauz had big offensive nights.
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A late rally came up short for the Sox after Worcester battled back from a 6-0 deficit. Ryan Fitzgerald and Jonathan Arauz each singled and doubled, with Fitzgerald knocking in a pair of runs. Triston Casas reached twice with a walk and his eighth double to go along with his 22nd RBI. Christin Stewart also had a productive night with three singles in five trips to the plate. The newly acquired Carlos Martinez struggled again on the mound, allowing five earned runs over 3 2/3 frames. He did strike out four and walk just one. Michael Feliz struck out three in his 1 1/3 innings of work, while Geoff Hartlieb punched out a pair in two scoreless innings of his own. Taylor Cole also struck out two but gave up a run.
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Portland jumped out to an early lead in the first inning on a two-run single from Pedro Castellanos and an RBI double by Tyreque Reed. David Hamilton had a big night in the leadoff spot by belting his fourth home run of the year as well as earning a pair of walks. Devlin Granberg doubled and walked twice as well. Victor Santos turned in a solid outing, limiting the damage to three runs in 5 1/3 innings despite allowing eight hits. He struck out three. Brendan Nail and Joan Martinez combined for 2 2/3 hitless frames while Andrew Politi picked up his fourth save with two strikeouts in the ninth.
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Greenville came away victorious in a thriller, coming back to win after being down 6-0 in the fifth inning. Nick Northcut started the Drive scoring with his 14th home run of the season. He also doubled, walked, and scored three times. Gilberto Jimenez went 3 for 5 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored. Tyler McDonough roped two doubles and knocked in a pair and Stephen Scott delivered a bases-clearing double in the sixth to tie it.
Shane Drohan had a rough start, surrendering three runs on seven hits in three innings. Jacinto Arredondo also struggled, allowing five runs in 2 2/3 innings following Drohan. Casey Cobb, who picked up the win, tossed a couple scoreless innings with two strikeouts.
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Eddinson Paulino took a page from the big league club by hitting a sacrifice fly in the 11th to give Salem the win. Paulino also roped a two-run double in the sixth, giving him three RBI on the night. Brainer Bonaci went 3 for 5 and scored twice, and Tyler Miller singled twice, drove in a run, and stole a base. Tyler Uberstine had the strikeout pitch working in this one, fanning eight over five innings of work. He gave up three runs and allowed just one walk. Jacob Webb struck out two in 1 1/3 innings, Osvaldo De La Rosa tossed two hitless innings with two strikeouts of his own, and Miguel Suero grabbed his first save in a clean ninth.
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Player of the Day: Even though Northcut got it going, it's another Greenville player who takes the honor. Gilberto Jimenez hit safely in his fourth straight game, this time with three hits. After a bit of a slow start, Jimenez has been hot in May, hitting .308/.400/.436 with five stolen bases for the month.
Photo Credit: Nick Northcut by Kelly O'Connor