August 31, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Wehunt throws four strong innings; Encarnacion homers in Greenville
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Starting pitcher Tyler Uberstine struggled with his control and was hit hard by Durham on Saturday night. In five innings of work, he allowed seven runs (five earned) on five hits and five walks, though he did strike out six batters. Wyatt Olds followed him with two perfect innings, striking out four batters. Isaac Coffey tossed the final inning for Worcester, walking one batter in a scoreless frame. It was a quiet night for the Worcester bats as they generated just two runs on four hits. Abraham Toro was 1 for 4 and drilled a solo home run in the second inning. Nathan Hickey drove in Worcester's only other run with an RBI single in the sixth and he was also 1 for 4 in the game. Corey Rosier was 2 for 3 and stole a base.
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A sacrifice fly off the bat of Juan Chacon was the difference-maker as Portland edged Hartford in ten innings. Portland's other runs came by way of the long ball as Ronald Rosario delivered a two-run homer in the first and Marvin Alcantara hit a solo blast in the ninth inning. Rosario and Alcantara were both 1 for 4. Blake Wehunt tossed the first four innings for Portland and kept the Yard Goats' bats in check, allowing just one run on one hit while striking out five. Cooper Adams threw three innings out of the bullpen, allowing one run on four hits while striking out three batters. Left-hander Jeremy Wu-Yelland struck out three batters and gave up one run in two innings. Reidis Sena picked up his sixth save of the season with a scoreless tenth inning.
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Greenville fell into a hole right from the start, as Bowling Green scored four runs off Michael Sansone in the first inning. Sansone settled in and lasted five innings, allowing those four runs on six hits and striking out four batters, but he took the loss as Saturday's outing raised his ERA to 3.06 in Greenville. Erik Rivera punched out five batters and allowed a run in three innings of relief. Isaac Stebens allowed two runs on two hits and two walks in one inning. Freili Encarnacion was the standout in Greenville's lineup, as he went 3 for 4 and slammed a solo home run in the fourth inning. Nelly Taylor drove in a pair of runs with a third-inning double and was 1 for 4 overall. Justin Riemer was 2 for 4 with a double.
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Yhoiker Fajardo put plenty of traffic on the basepaths but seven strikeouts helped him limit the damage as he allowed one run on six hits and two walks in four innings. Joey Gartrell was unable to escape unscathed, however, giving up six runs in 1 2/3 innings. P.J. Labriola walked four batters and allowed two runs in an inning and Eybersson Polanco threw 1 1/3 scoreless frames. D'Angelo Ortiz had an impactful game for Salem, going 2 for 4 with an RBI double and two runs scored. 2025 13th-rounder Jack Winnay was 1 for 4 and drove in three runs with a ninth-inning single (credited with two RBI due to an error).
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Player of the Day: Freili Encarnacion's big performance was the highlight of a tough game for Greenville. The 20-year-old first baseman went 3 for 4 with a solo home run, his seventh of the season with the Drive. In 63 games since being promoted from Salem, Encarnacion has hit .199/.267/.335. Encarnacion is ranked 55th on the SoxProspects.com rankings and his raw power is his most impressive tool.
Photo Credit: Freili Encarnacion by Kelly O'Connor