September 9, 2024 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Gonzalez crushes 20th homer as season ends for Greenville and Salem
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A three-run 10th inning propelled Worcester to a win in extras. Roman Anthony and Dalton Guthrie led the way offensively by combining for six of their side's 10 hits. Anthony went 3 for 6 with one double, one RBI, one run scored, and one stolen base. Guthrie went 3 for 5 with one RBI and two runs scored. Vaughn Grissom reached base four times by going 1 for 2 with a two-run double and three walks. Tyler McDonough tripled in a run for his only hit of the day while Kyle Teel ripped an RBI single and scored two runs.
Justin Hagenman got the start on the mound and went five innings. The righty allowed three earned runs on five hits (including a solo homer from old friend Joey Meneses), zero walks, and seven strikeouts. He finished with 81 pitches (51 strikes) and induced 12 swings-and-misses. Jacob Webb received the first call out of the WooSox bullpen and surrendered two earned runs on three hits, one walk, and three strikeouts over two innings in his Triple-A debut. Wyatt Olds gave up two more runs (one earned) over three innings but held on to secure the victory.
With Sunday's win, the WooSox improved to 36-26 in the second half and moved to within four games of the Columbus Clippers (40-22) for the top record in the International League.
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Blaze Jordan paced the Portland lineup by going 2 for 4 with four RBIs. Drew Ehrard and Corey Rosier both had two hits as well. Nathan Hickey went 1 for 4 with a two-run double, two runs scored, and one walk. Phillip Sikes and Alex Binelas combined for five walks, four runs scored, and four stolen bases. Mikey Romero homered for the sixth time in his last 11 games for his lone hit of the contest. On the mound, the Sea Dogs used five different pitchers. Bryce Bonnin went the first two innings and allowed three earned runs on a three-run home run from Yohendrick Pinango. Robert Kwiatkowski, Redis Sena, Alex Hoppe, and Felix Cepeda then spun six frames of two-run ball out of the bullpen. Hoppe was credited with the winning decision while Cepeda notched his 14th save of the season.
By winning their fourth straight game on Sunday, the Sea Dogs improved to 40-23 in the second half. They now lead the Somerset Patriots (38-24) by 1 1/2 games for first place in the Eastern League Northeast.
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Bryan Gonzalez proved to be the difference maker in Greenville's final game of the season by going 3 for 4 with a go-ahead solo home run in the eighth inning. Nelly Taylor went 1 for 4 with a two-run triple while Miguel Bleis went 1 for 3 with an RBI single and one run scored. Justin Riemer doubled and scored a run as part of a 2 for 4 showing out of the leadoff spot. Fraymi De Leon also had two hits. On the flip side, Jedisxon Paez went five innings in his start for the Drive. The righty allowed four earned runs on eight hits (including two homers), zero walks, and six strikeouts. He elicited 17 swings-and-misses. Lefties Noah Dean and Zach Fogell combined for four scoreless frames of relief.
With Sunday's victory, the Drive ended the season on a three-game winning streak. At 37-29, they finished 3 1/2 games back of the Bowling Green Hot Rods (39-24) for the South Atlantic League South second-half division title. They went 63-69 on the 2024 campaign as a whole.
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Franklin Arias put together another productive day at the plate, going 2 for 3 with one double, two RBIs, two runs scored, and two walks out of the leadoff spot. Caden Rose went 2 for 4 with two RBIs, two runs scored, and one stolen base. Albert Feliz went 2 for 5 with a two-run single and one run scored. Andruw Musett and Marvin Alcantara both went 1 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Antonio Anderson, Andy Lugo, and Karim Ayubi all drove in runs as well.
Jojo Ingrassia got the start on the hill and was responsible for the first two innings. The lefty kept Kannapolis off the board and struck out three of the seven batters he faced. Nathanael Cruz allowed one run in the third before making way for Michael Sansone, who yielded two earned runs on five hits, zero walks, and four strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings en route to picking up the winning decision. Luis Talavera then tossed 1 1/3 scoreless frames to end it.
With Sunday's win, the Red Sox snapped a three-game losing streak. At 36-30, they finished 3 1/2 games back of the Fredericksburg Nationals (39-26) for the Carolina League North second-half division title. Overall, Salem went 70-62 in the regular season.
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Player of the Day: Bryan Gonzalez gets the nod for wrapping up his career year in Greenville on a strong note. In this final series against Winston-Salem, the right-handed hitting 22-year-old went 8-for-17 (.471) with two home runs, four RBIs, and three runs scored. Overall, Gonzalez slashed .272/.337/.508 with 13 doubles, two triples, a career-high 20 homers, 59 RBIs, 58 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, 29 walks, and 115 strikeouts in 91 games (362 plate appearances) this season. He is now the Drive's all-time leader in home runs with 31 in 201 games dating back to last year.
Photo Credit: Bryan Gonzalez by Kelly O'Connor