May 11, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Eyanson impresses in Double-A debut; Heyman stays hot for Salem
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The WooSox had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but Kristian Campbell grounded into a double play to end the game. A solid start from Alec Gamboa kept Worcester in the game as he allowed one run over five frames with four strikeouts. The loss went to Jack Anderson who walked three and allowed two runs in 1 1/3 innings. Tayron Guerrero continued his dominance with 2 2/3 innings of shutout ball. Old friend Elmer Rodríguez got the start for the RailRiders after making his big league debut on Tuesday. Braiden Ward led the way by going 2 for 3 with two doubles and three stolen bases. Both Mikey Romero and Nick Sogard went 1 for 4 with a double and a walk.
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In his Double-A debut Anthony Eyanson kept rolling as the Sea Dogs crushed the Fisher Cats. Eyanson needed only 68 pitches to get through four innings, striking out four while surrendering only one run on a solo home run. The win went to Jedixson Paez who allowed three runs over three frames, and Michael Sansone struck out four over two shutout innings.
On offense, eight of Portland's 13 hits came from two players. Franklin Arias went 4 for 5 with a double, two RBI, and three runs scored as he lifted his average to .366. Even with that impressive performance, he was overshadowed by Brooks Brannon. Brannon drove in five runs as he went 4 for 4 with a home run, two doubles, and a walk. It was Brannon's second straight game with nine total bases after he went deep two times on Friday.
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The ball was flying out of First National Bank Field with the two teams combining for 10 home runs. Jack Winnay, Yophery Rodriguez, Isaiah Jackson, and Freili Encarnacion all went deep for the Drive. Rodriguez is now the organization leader in home runs with nine. While he did not homer, Mason White did go 3 for 5 with a double. Starter Luis Cohen could not get out of the first inning as he was tagged for five runs. Steven Brooks was the only pitcher to not give up a long ball, but he still surrendered three runs over 1 2/3 innings.
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The RidgeYaks scored early and often as they jumped out to an 11-2 lead after four innings. Salem did its best to keep pace with Greenville as three players homered. Luke Heyman went deep for the third time in five games as part of a 2-for-3 game with two walks. Starlyn Nunez and Kleyver Salazar also hit home runs, with Salazar launching a grand slam. Enddy Azocar filled up the box score as he went 2 for 4 with a triple, walk, and a stolen base while scoring three runs. Leighton Finley's ERA rose to 1.52 after giving up one run over five frames. The final eight outs came from Griffin Kilander who struck out five and allowed one run.
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Player of the Day: With three teams scoring double-digit runs there were plenty of options to pick from, but the win goes to Brooks Brannon for the second time in three days. Brannon's five RBI outpaced New Hampshire while slugging a home run and two doubles. His triple slash is sitting at an absurd .359/.469/.897 with five home runs in 39 at-bats. He started the season on the injured list after getting surgery on a broken hamate bone. Normally breaking a hamate bone saps a players power output for several weeks, but Brannon seems completely undeterred. The 22-year-old has always had plus-plus raw power, and right now he is making enough contact to show it off in games.
Photo Credit: Brooks Brannon by Kelly O'Connor