May 18, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Brannon and Gonzales stay hot; Azocar notches four hits
5/18 Cup of Coffee: Heartbreaking losses for Portland and Salem were offset by impressive pitching for Worcester and a power surge for Greenville. Brooks Brannon in Portland and Justin Gonzales (pictured) in Greenville keep on tearing the cover off the ball, while Enddy Azocar continues to make the case for a top-10 ranking in the system.
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The WooSox pieced together a shutout with six different bullpen arms to break a three-game losing streak. The only pitchers to throw multiple innings were Eduardo Rivera and Jack Anderson. Rivera struck out one and allowed one hit over two innings, while Anderson limited Buffalo to two baserunners in his three frames. The number nine hitter was the star of the day offensively as Nathan Hickey went 2 for 2 with a home run and two walks. Both Mikey Romero and Kristian Campbell drove in a run as Romero went 2 for 5 with an RBI single and Campbell went 1 for 4 with an RBI double.
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The Sea Dogs were walked off for the second straight day as Hartford earned a series split. Portland took a 5-4 lead in the top of the ninth as Max Ferguson laced an RBI single with two outs. Cooper Adams entered in the bottom half of the inning and issued two walks and then allowed a bunt single to load the bases with nobody out. He then got a strike out and a force out at home to change the momentum, but the Yard Goats laced a two-run double to deep center to win it. Starter Michael Sansone had a rough second inning that saw him allow four runs, but he was otherwise able to limit the damage over his five frames. Caleb Bolden kept the game tied with three shutout innings in relief.
The offense continues to be paced by Brooks Brannon who is white hot at the plate. He launched a two-run home run to the opposite field in the first, and finished the game 1 for 3 while adding a hit by pitch. In 11 games in May he is hitting .405/.469/.905. Miguel Bleis added a two-run home run of his own three batters later. The only starter with multiple hits was Will Turner who went 2 for 4 with a double.
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This game appeared to be over after the fourth inning with Greenville up 11-1, but the first-place Hot Rods did not go down without a fight. Three players had standout offensive performances for Greenville. 19-year-old Justin Gonzales went 2 for 5 with a two-run double and a solo home run. The home run was his sixth of the year as his OPS bumped up to .938. An under-the-radar success story so far this season has been Mason White. Boston's fourth-round pick in 2025, White raised his OPS to .908 as he went 2 for 5 with a grand slam and an RBI single. Jack Winnay reached base in all five plate appearances, going 2 for 2 with three walks and three runs scored. The pitching was not sharp, as all four arms gave up at least one run. Starter Alex Bouchard surrendered three runs in 4 1/3, while P.J. Labriola picked up the win despite allowing two runs in less than two innings.
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Salem's walk-off loss may have been more painful than Portland's as the Nationals did not put a ball in play in the ninth. Three walks and a wild pitch by Nicolas De La Cruz was how this one ended. Enddy Azocar did all he could to put the RidgeYaks on top, as he went 4 for 5 with a double, RBI, and stolen base. Ilan Fernandez went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI, and Kleyver Salazar went 2 for 4 with a walk. The best pitcher for Salem was Wuilliams Rodriguez who set down all nine batters he faced.
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Player of the Day: The offense provided a few good candidates, with the win going to Justin Gonzales who drove in three runs with a double and a home run. It is the second straight win for Gonzales after he totaled four hits on Saturday. He is going to be sad to see Bowling Green leave town, as he finished the series going 10 for 21 with two doubles, a triple, a home run, and two walks while striking out just once as he raised his OPS by 74 points. The 6-foot-6 slugger entered Baseball America's top 100 prospect list a week ago, as his performance has kept him climbing up the prospect charts.
Photo Credit: Justin Gonzales by Kelly O'Connor