Cup of Coffee: Casas homers; Mata strikes out seven

8/1 Cup of Coffee: With Salem rained out, Triston Casas was the top prospect to play on Sunday. He made his mark with a solo home run, one of three home runs that the team hit. Bryan Mata was homer-prone but still turned in his longest outing of the season. Nick Northcut and Nick Decker (pictured) hit home runs, and David Hamilton swiped two more bases. 

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Worcester Red Sox 4, Buffalo Bisons (TOR) 1

Five Worcester pitchers combined to stifle Buffalo. AJ Politi was the opener and struck out three in two scoreless frames. Durbin Feltman and Chase Shugart added two scoreless innings apiece, and Frank German converted the save with a scoreless ninth. Triston Casas got the scoring started with a long solo home run to right field, and Deivy Grullón and Christin Stewart each went deep later in the game. Devlin Granberg went 2 for 5 with a stolen base out of the leadoff spot, and José Peraza went 2 for 4. 

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Hartford Yard Goats (COL) 5, Portland Sea Dogs 3

Bryan Mata allowed three runs in six innings, but all three scored on solo home runs. He walked one and struck out seven, and the six innings mark his longest outing of the season. Kyle Hart finished off the last two frames, allowing two runs. The Sea Dogs got an early lead on a two-run home run from Nick Northcut. Christian Koss went 2 for 4 with two doubles, and David Hamilton went 2 for 4 with two steals. He now has 49 on the year, with one of the steals on Sunday coming on a pitchout. 

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Greenville Drive 7, Bowling Green Hot Rods (TB) 6

Both Tyler McDonough and Nick Decker had three hits to lead the Drive. Decker launched a two-run home run and also had an outfield assist. McDonough went 3 for 4 with a walk, and Brandon Howlett went 1 for 3 with a walk and a solo home run. Nick Yorke added a triple and two RBI. Tyler Uberstine left the game with the lead, but the bullpen surrendered three runs in the seventh to tie the game. Decker plated the winning run in the bottom half of the seventh with a single. Uberstine allowed three runs over five innings, striking out six. Jacob Webb earned the save with a scoreless ninth. 

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Salem Red Sox @ Fredericksburg Nationals (WAS), PPD (rain)

Sunday's game was postponed, and it will be made up in Salem in September. 

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Player of the Day: Nick Decker went 3 for 3 with a home run, double, and go-ahead RBI single for Greenville. The 22-year-old has struggled in High-A this year, hitting .140/.297/.285 over 220 plate appearances after hitting .276/.377/.452 in Low-A last season. He was in the concussion protocol in May but returned after missing less than two weeks. He is due for a hot stretch as his batting average on balls in play sits at just .226.

Photo Credit: Nick Decker by Kelly O'Connor

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