April 24, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Arias, Ferguson come through in clutch, lift Portland to walk-off win in extras
-----
Nate Eaton enjoyed a productive afternoon at the plate, going 2 for 3 with one triple, one RBI, one run scored, and one walk. Eaton was not alone in that department, as Vinny Capra went 1 for 3 with one double, two RBI, two runs scored, and two walks. Nick Sogard drove in two runs, scored once, drew two walks, and stole one base. He also threw out a runner at second base from right field. Mickey Gasper, Allan Castro, Matt Thaiss, and Nathan Hickey all had RBI as well. Altogether, the WooSox recorded more walks than strikeouts as a team.
On the mound, Alec Gamboa got the start and went 4 1/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on eight hits (including one home run), one walk, and six strikeouts. He threw 77 pitches (57 strikes) and generated 16 whiffs. Jacob Webb, who was credited with the winning decision, Tayron Guerrero, who reached triple digits with his fastball, and Tommy Kahnle, who retired the only three batters he faced, combined for 4 2/3 scoreless frames of relief to end it.
-----
Franklin Arias took center stage yet again for Portland, going 2 for 5 with a double and a game-tying two-run home run in the ninth inning. It was his third homer of the series and the sixth in his last seven games. Nate Baez also doubled as part of a 2-for-5 night. Caden Rose went 2 for 3 with one walk. Max Ferguson came off the bench and went 2 for 2 with a pair of hits, including a walk-off single to win it in the 10th. Tyler McDonough singled, drew two walks, and stole one base. Marvin Alcantara, Miguel Bleis, and Johanfran Garcia combined to score three runs.
Dalton Rogers made his third start of the season and went five innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits, two walks, and six strikeouts. He threw 83 pitches (53 strikes) and generated nine whiffs. Patrick Halligan surrendered two runs in his lone inning of relief, while Cooper Adams scattered three hits, walked two, and struck out four over four scoreless frames to secure the win.
-----
These two teams needed extras for a second straight night, with Asheville emerging victorious this time around. Ben Hansen got the start for Greenville and went 1 2/3 innings, allowing five earned runs on four hits (including one home run), three walks, one hit by pitch, and four strikeouts. Only 24 of his 53 pitches landed for strikes. Alex Bouchard gave up one run in his 3 1/3 innings of relief, while Calvin Bickerstaff struck out six and generated 14 whiffs over four scoreless, no-hit frames. Steven Brooks then took the loss after surrendering an unearned run on a walk-off sacrifice fly in the 10th.
Offensively, it was a relatively quiet night for the Greenville bats. Gerardo Rodriguez got on the board with his first home run of the season as part of a 1-for-3 showing in which he drew two walks. Natanael Yuten doubled and scored one run. Yoeilin Cespedes drove in one run, scored another, and drew one walk out of the leadoff spot. Jack Winnay and Isaiah Jackson also had RBI, while Yophery Rodriguez and Antonio Anderson each drew two walks and scored one run.
-----
Dylan Brown went 5 2/3 innings in his start for Salem, allowing four runs (one earned) on three hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts. He threw 83 pitches (56 strikes) and generated 19 whiffs. Harry Blum and Nicolas De La Cruz struck out four more over 3 1/3 combined scoreless frames of relief. At the plate, Avinson Pinto led the way by going 2 for 3 with one triple, two runs scored, and one walk. Batting behind him, Stanley Tucker went 1 for 3 with a two-run home run, a stolen base, and a walk. Skylar King also crushed a solo shot for his only hit and third homer of the year. Starlyn Nunez and Enddy Azocar combined for five RBI, while Anderson Fermin and D'Angelo Ortiz combined for three runs and two walks.
-----
Player of the Day: It was a banner night for the top two prospects in the organization. While Payton Tolle struck out 11 Yankees over six dominant innings on the mound in Boston, Franklin Arias stayed red-hot at the plate in Portland. Following Thursday's performance, the 20-year-old infielder is batting .444/.519/.933 with four doubles, six home runs, 15 RBI, 12 runs scored, one stolen base, five walks, and four strikeouts through 13 games (54 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs to begin the 2026 season.
Photo Credit: Franklin Arias by Kelly O'Connor