April 27, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Portland tosses combined no-hitter; Gonzales powers Greenville
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Three hits, including a three-run home run, from Nate Eaton led the WooSox to a series victory. Eaton went 3 for 3 with a double in addition to the long ball. Braiden Ward went 2 for 4 with two runs scored, Vinny Capra went 2 for 3 with a walk, and Kristian Campbell went 1 for 2 with a walk, sacrifice fly, and stolen base. Two players who made their last appearance in Boston threw the majority of the innings. Jack Anderson started with four shutout frames with four strikeouts, and Eduardo Rivera struck out six but allowed two runs over three innings.
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Portland salvaged a tie in the series with one of the more unconventional no-hitters you will see. A third inning error by first baseman Ronald Rosario was originally ruled a hit, so many fans might not have been thinking about the no-hitter initially. That error allowed two runs to score, with Hayden Mullins being the beneficiary of those runs going from earned to unearned. Mullins walked five and struck out five while keeping Hartford out of the hit column. Caleb Bolden and Reidis Sena left no doubt over the final four innings, with the only runner to reach base doing so via catcher interference. Bolden struck out three in his two frames, while Sena punched out four.
The top story in Portland is typically Franklin Arias, but he had a relatively quiet game by going 1 for 4 with a single and a run scored. Nate Baez tied the game in the sixth with a two-run home run, and Rosario made up for his earlier defensive miscue by driving in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth.
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A game-tying grand slam from Justin Gonzales in the top of the eighth propelled Greenville to a come-from-behind win. Gonzales finished 3 for 5 with five RBI. The other big hit came from Stanley Tucker who launched a two-run home run in the 10th inning. Henry Godbout went 1 for 4 with a double and two walks, Isaiah Jackson went 1 for 2 with two walks, and Freili Encarnacion went 1 for 1 with a double and three walks. Marcus Phillips worked around four walks in his 3 1/3 innings to hold Asheville scoreless. He did not allow a hit while striking out five. The Tourists got to Joey Gartrell for five runs in his lone frame, but Harry Blum settled things down over the final three innings. He struck out five without allowing a hit while earning the victory.
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It was a forgettable Sunday in Salem as the Nationals cruised to victory. Dalvinson Reyes could not follow up a solid debut as he was tagged for three runs in 2 1/3 innings. It was a similar story for Barrett Morgan and Nicolas De La Cruz as they both allowed two runs. Griffin Kilander was the only pitcher to keep Fredericksburg off the board as he twirled two hitless innings. A 2-for-3 day from Anderson Fermin and a single from Enddy Azocar was the only offense Salem could muster.
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Player of the Day: It does not get much more clutch than hitting a grand slam with your team down by four runs in the eighth. Justin Gonzales did just that for the Drive. The 19-year-old drove in five runs on the day while notching three hits. The home run was his third of the season, and it helped raise his OPS to .784. Gonzales is still learning how to tap into his plus-to-better raw power, but in flashes he shows that he is one of the highest-ceiling bats in the system.
Photo Credit: Justin Gonzales by Kelly O'Connor