Cup of Coffee: Meidroth, Sogard lead Worcester; Sikes propels Portland

4/22 Cup of Coffee: Boston's minor-league affiliates went 2-2 on Sunday, as both upper-level teams won and both lower-level teams fell. Chase Meidroth and Nick Sogard combined for five hits in Worcester's victory over Durham. Wikelman Gonzalez earned the win in relief while Phillip Sikes (pictured) plated three runs as Portland took its fifth straight from New Hampshire. Greenville and Salem each came up short, but Juan Chacon and Miguel Bleis were among those who stood out in defeat.

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Worcester Red Sox 7, Durham Bulls (TB) 1

Naoyuki Uwasawa put forth his best start for Worcester thus far. The Japanese right-hander allowed only one earned run on five hits and one walk to go along with a season-high seven strikeouts over five solid innings of work. He finished with 79 pitches (48 strikes) and induced 14 swings-and-misses. Vladimir Gutierrez (organizational debut), Jorge Benitez, and Zack Kelly combined for four scoreless frames of relief.

Three members of Worcester's lineup recorded two or more hits. Chase Meidroth went 2 for 3 with an RBI, a run scored, and two walks out of the leadoff spot. Batting behind him, Nick Sogard broke out by going 3 for 5 with a double and two runs scored. Mark Kolozsvary had two hits, including a 410-foot two-run shot that left his bat at 112.2 mph and was good for his first home run of the season. Tyler McDonough and Jamie Westbrook each had run-scoring doubles as well.

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Portland Sea Dogs 8, New Hampshire Fisher Cats (TOR) 5

Phillip Sikes led the way offensively by going 3 for 4 with a double, three RBIs, and one run scored out of the nine-hole. Nick Yorke also doubled and scored a run as part of a two-hit afternoon for Portland. Alex Binelas had just one hit, but he drove in two runs, scored twice, drew two walks, and stole his first base of the season. Mickey Gasper went 1 for 1 with three walks while Marcelo Mayer and Matthew Lugo each hit RBI doubles.

Angel Bastardo went three innings in his third start of the season for Portland. The 21-year-old righty allowed two earned runs on one hit, two walks, and three strikeouts. Wikelman Gonzalez picked up where Bastardo left off and fanned four over three scoreless, one-hit innings of relief to earn his first winning decision of the year. Alex Hoppe had to grind through a rough seventh inning, but Ryan Zeferjahn followed with two more shutout frames to notch the save.

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Wilmington Blue Rocks (WAS) 5, Greenville Drive 4

All four of Greenville's runs came in the sixth inning. Cutter Coffey accounted for his side's lone run-scoring hit by going 1 for 5 with an RBI single. Juan Chacon reached base thrice, going 1 for 3 with one run scored, two walks, and a stolen base. Max Carlson took the loss in his High-A debut, as he allowed one run on one hit, two walks, one hit batsman, and one strikeout over 1 2/3 innings of relief. Caleb Bolden, on the other hand, retired all five batters he faced.

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Lynchburg Hillcats (CLE) 6, Salem Red Sox 2

Both Miguel Bleis and Nelly Taylor doubled as part of two-hit performances. Taylor drove in Bleis with his two-base hit in the third inning. Jedixson Paez was charged with the losing decision after allowing five runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over five innings. CJ Weins and Isaac Stebens each tossed a scoreless frame out of the Salem bullpen.

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Player of the Day: Phillip Sikes put the finishing touches on a productive series at Hadlock Field by recording his first three-hit game of the season on Sunday. Appearing in four of six games against New Hampshire, the soon-to-be 25-year-old outfielder went 7 for 14 (.500) with two doubles, four RBIs, three runs scored, two stolen bases, one walk, and five strikeouts.

Photo Credit: Phillip Sikes by Kelly O'Connor

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