June 22, 2024 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Kavadas knocks 2 home runs; 3 hits for Brooks Brannon
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First pitch came an hour and 45 minutes late due to thunderstorms in the area, but the pitching staff was ready, as they didn't allow an earned run, though the Red Sox did commit three errors. Cooper Criswell set the example, tossing 5 1/3 innings with zero earned runs, though both unearned tallies were on his watch. He allowed five hits and three walks, punching out four. Chase Shugart and Lucas Luetge turned it up a notch, as the only baserunner they allowed was a fielder's choice by the first hitter Shugart, who went 2 2/3 innings with five strikeouts, faced. Luetge struck out two of the three hitters that came up in the ninth. Niko Kavadas knocked two home runs for three RBIs as part of a three-hit day, while Nick Sogard was 2 for 4 with a double. Eddy Alvarez added two RBIs.
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In the opener of the doubleheader, Portland scored a pair early, but a three-run frame for Richmond in the fifth was the difference as the tying run was stranded at first. Marcelo Mayer was 2 for 4 on the afternoon. He was joined in the hit column by six other Sea Dogs, including Kristian Campbell, who is now up to .424 with a 1.219 OPS in Double-A, while Tyler McDonough had two RBIs. Bryan Mata was on the mound and threw three scoreless innings, working around a trio of hits and a walk, striking out two batters in the process. Felix Cepeda also contributed a shutout seventh.
Richmond didn't wait around until the later innings to take its lead in the later game of the twin bill, plating six in the first and resisting Portland's comeback bid. It was an outing of nightmares for Juan Daniel Encarnacion, as eight runs, seven of which were earned, went on his tab as he recorded just four outs. His ERA is over 7.00 and is averaging less than four innings per start. The relief corps settled it down, as Christopher Troye struck out four hitters and allowed one run in 2 2/3 innings of work, while Zach Bryant followed it up with two shutout innings. Blaze Jordan, Phillip Sikes, and Kyle Teel each had two hits, including a deep fly. Teel's home run was his eighth of the season.
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Greenville was up 5-3 going into the bottom of the ninth, but the Emperors snagged a trio of runs to take the walk-off win. Bryan Gonzalez had a two-run home run in the fourth as his team had just six hits, two of which went for extra bases. Starter David Sandlin contributed two hitless innings with four strikeouts, while Isaac Stebens also threw three frames with no runs allowed. All three runs in the ninth came on Adam Smith's tab, who was unable to get the third out.
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Augusta held a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth, but by the end of the sixth, Salem was up 10-2 and the Red Sox would cruise to victory. They exploded for 12 hits, three of which came off the bat of Brooks Brannon, including a double. Nelly Taylor, who knocked a two-run homer in the sixth, also had multiple hits, as did Marvin Alcantara, Antonio Anderson, and Fraymi De Leon. Starting pitcher Noah Dean was the only arm to allow an earned run, as he surrendered a pair on two hits. He struck out six but issued five free passes. Francis Hernandez threw two shutout innings, while Max Carlson yielded a pair of unearned tallies in the eighth, but completed the game without other incidents.
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It was a crosstown battle for the FCL Red Sox, as they came out ahead in extra innings on a Kelvin Diaz sacrifice fly. Starlyn Nunez was the only member of the lineup with more than one hit, adding a double in the process. Luis Jerez thew 2 1/3 frames of scoreless relief, following Adam Bates. Bates surrendered two runs over 3 2/3 innings, with four hits and two walks. Yonfi Rodriguez also contributed two shutout innings to close the contest.
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Pitching was the story for Blue, as the trio of arms that took the mound combined for just two hits and three walks allowed in a strong performance. Jesus Travieso had two hitless innings to begin the day, with a walk against three strikeouts, followed by Denison Sanchez, who pitched the bulk of the game. The run went on his tab, but that came on just one hit and a walk over four innings of work with a pair of punch outs. The save went to Anthony Felix, as he registered four strikeouts over three innings of shutout ball. He surrendered one hit and one free pass.
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Red had the same Royals team for the second straight day but again fell in a one-run ballgame. The team mustered just four hits and both tallies came on Avinson Pinto's two-run homer in the eighth. Yermain Ruiz, the starting pitcher, held up his end of the bargain but was unable to secure a win. He pitched five no-hit innings, scattering a pair of walks with three strikeouts. Juan Henriquez entered in the ninth with the bases loaded and walked the only hitter he faced, which ended the contest.
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Player of the Day: The long ball always plays. Niko Kavadas had two for Worcester in a win over Columbus on Friday night, which was his third multi-home run game of the season, with his last coming exactly two weeks ago. He's up to 14 home runs on the year and is just four behind the leader in the International League, while he took the Red Sox system lead from Matthew Lugo, who stands at 13.
Photo Credit: Niko Kavadas by Kelly O'Connor