August 5, 2009 at 7:45 AM
Kelly and Greenville walk off with a win
In a game that saw 18 runs scored on 23 hits combined, Portland dropped a 12-6 decision to Altoona. Jared Plummer was charged with most of the damage for the Sea Dogs, going just 3.1 innings and allowing 8 runs on 10 hits and a walk, striking out 2. Chad Rhoades pitched 1.2 scoreless innings after him, allowing a hit and 2 walks and striking out 3, but the scoring started again against Richie Lentz, who was charged with 3 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks in 0.2 innings. Andrew Dobies fired 2.1 scoreless frames to give Portland a chance, but Brian Cox gave up a solo home run in his inning of work to put the game out of reach. Jorge Jimenez and Juan Apodaca each went 3 for 4, including a solo home run for Jimenez in the seventh, his twelfth of the year. And although Ryan Kalish and Iggy Suarez only went 1 for 4 in the game, each man's only hit was a home run: a solo shot for Kalish, and a 3-run bomb for Suarez.
Despite jumping out to a 1-0 lead on a Mike Jones RBI single in the first inning, Salem could muster little else offensively and dropped a 4-1 decision to Myrtle Beach. Seth Garrison (7-9) got the starting nod but took the loss, going 5.2 innings giving up 4 runs (3 earned) on 7 hits. He struck out 3 and did not walk a batter. Kyle Fernandes went the next 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing only 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 3. Jason Rice finished things out with a scoreless inning of his own, including a strikeout. David Mailman and Tim Federowicz both had multiple-hit games for the Red Sox, going 3 for 4 and 2 for 4 respectively.
Single Lexington runs in the eighth and ninth innings turned a 1-run Greenville lead into a 1-run deficit, but the Drive tied things in the bottom of the ninth and scored again in the bottom of the tenth to take a 4-3 win. Ryan Lavarnway went 1 for 3 with a walk in the game, but that hit was his fifteenth home run of the season and tied the game in the ninth. Casey Kelly's third double of the game was of the walk-off variety, scoring Pete Hissey (1 for 4) from second. The Greenville shortstop went 3 for 5 with 2 RBI and a run scored. Mike Lee started this one and tossed 6.0 frames giving up only 1 run on 5 hits, walking no one and striking out 4. Up next was Felix Ventura, who was charged with a blown save after giving up a run on 2 hits and a walk in his 1.2 innings. Chad Povich (2-0), who would have been on the hook for the loss were it not for the Drive comeback, got the win instead after going the final 2.1 innings giving up just the 1 unearned run on a hit and a walk, striking out 3.
Lowell busted out the bats in Hudson Valley to the tune of 15 hits, obliterating the Renegades 10-1. Wilfred Pichardo went 3 for 5 with a walk, an RBI, 2 steals and 2 runs scored, and Derrick Gibson also had a 3-hit night, going 3 for 6 with a steal and a run scored of his own. Alex Hassan continued his hot hitting by going 2 for 5 with a double and a run scored, while Daniel Butler went 2 for 4. Chris McGuiness and Joantoni Garcia each went 1 for 5 with a 3-run home run in the game. On the mound, Alex Wilson was once again unhittable, allowing only 1 walk in 3 otherwise perfect innings with 1 strikeout. His ERA now sits at 0.43 on the season. Tom Ebert (2-0) earned the win by pitching the next 2.0 innings scoreless, striking out 4 while giving up only 1 hit and 1 walk. Anatanaer Batista did allow a run in his 3.0 innings of work, but gave up only 2 hits while striking out 3. Dennis Neuman finished things up with a scoreless inning of work.
As their parent clubs duked it out less than 100 miles away, the cellar-dwelling GCL Rays upended the GCL Red Sox, 5-3. Pete Ruiz started and took the loss, giving up 4 runs on 8 hits and a walk in 5.0 innings. Hunter Cervenka allowed a run on 2 hits and 2 walks in his 2 innings of work, striking out 2 as well, and Jordan Flasher got the final 3 outs in scoreless fashion. Ken Roque went 2 for 3 with a stolen base, a double and a home run, while Bryan Peterson went 1 for 3 with a walk and a triple.
In an eerily coincidental third meeting between the Red Sox and Rays organizations on Tuesday, the DSL Red Sox took down the DSL Rays 6-5 despite only registering 2 hits in the game. One of those hits was a bases-clearing triple in the fifth off the bat of Heiker Menses in an inning in which the first four Red Sox hitters reached base via a walk or hit by pitch. Menses then scored on a wild pitch, and would later score the game-winning run in the seventh on a wild pitch as well after walking, advancing to second on a walk by Lewis Urena, and stealing third base, giving him 21 steals on the season. The other Red Sox hit belonged to Javier Gutierrez, who singled in the sixth. Yunior Ortega went the first 4.0 innings allowing 2 runs on 2 hits and 3 walks, striking out 5. William Cuevas went the next 4.1 allowing 3 runs on 8 hits, earning the win in the process to improve to 3-1 on the year. Wilfi Santana got the final 2 outs to record his third save.
Player of the Night: Casey Kelly, who went 3 for 5 with 3 doubles, including a walk-off hit to propel Greenville to victory.