June 20, 2026 at 7:17 AM
Cup of Coffee: Primera extends hitting streak to 15 with two-homer day
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This was a closer contest than the final score indicated, as Lehigh Valley blew the game open late. Brayan Bello got the start for the second time as he tries to reset. The right-hander allowed three runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings, striking out five, walking two, and hitting a batter. Joe La Sorsa followed with a scoreless 1 1/3. Angel Bastardo took the loss, allowing a seventh-inning solo home run to Otto Kemp as part of Kemp's four-hit night. The IronPigs touched up Seth Martinez for five runs in 2/3 of an inning, so Worcester turned to Nathan Hickey to get the final out. It was the seventh time that Hickey has been used as a pitcher this year. Mikey Romero stayed hot at the plate with a double and a walk, bringing his line to .364/.417/.523 since the calendar flipped to June. Tyler McDonough blasted a solo homer in the fifth, while Matt Thaiss and Anthony Siegler had two hits apiece.
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A five-run second inning powered the Sea Dogs. Ahbram Liendo delivered a two-run homer as part of the rally, finishing 2 for 3 with three RBI. Marvin Alcantara added a two-run double, his 13th of the year. Nelly Taylor was 2 for 4 with a triple and a run scored. That rally in the second allowed Gage Ziehl to cruise through five innings, allowing two runs on four hits. Ziehl struck out nine batters without issuing a walk and threw 54 of 76 pitches for strikes. Max Carlson fanned three and allowed two hits over three shutout innings of relief, and Erik Rivera closed things out with a scoreless ninth.
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Held hitless into the sixth, Greenville scored three in the ninth to stun the BlueClaws. Ronny Hernandez snapped the no-hit bid with a solo home run, his sixth of the year. Hernandez was not retired on the night, adding a single and an out. Mason White and Yoeilin Cespedes both had RBI triples in the ninth to give Greenville the lead. Cespedes then scored an insurance run as Luke Heyman beat out what could have been an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play.
Kyson Witherspoon turned in a solid start, allowing two runs on four hits in five innings. The 2025 first-rounder walked two and struck out eight, a new career-high as a pro. Joe Vogatsky fired three scoreless frames to get the win, scattering three hits and striking out five without walking a batter. Steven Brooks struck out one in a perfect ninth to pick up the save.
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The RidgeYaks withstood a late Fredericksburg rally, holding on after taking a 7-1 advantage. Brady Tygart continued his rehab stint with 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He allowed two hits, walked two, and struck out three. Jake Mayers picked up the win in relief, giving up a run on two hits in 3 2/3, striking out six against four walks. Kleyver Salazar went 2 for 4 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored. Andrews Opata also had a 2-for-4 evening while scoring and driving in a run, adding a hit-by-pitch. Justin Barry, who made his season debut the day before in the FCL, joined Salem and went 1 for 4 with a pair of stolen bases.
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It was once again the Franklin Primera show in Fort Myers as the FCL Sox won their third straight and seventh out of their last nine to claw back to the .500 mark for the first time since the start of the season. Primera continues to demolish the Florida Complex League, going 3 for 4 with two home runs and four RBI. He is riding a 15-game hitting streak and has reached safely in 24 consecutive contests. Jhorman Bravo and Chad Darville also went deep, with Darville's blast as part of back-to-back round-trippers with Primera in the second. Harold Rivas was 2 for 4 with a pair of runs scored.
Matt Duffy returned to the mound for the first time since 2024 as he began his rehab from last spring's Tommy John Surgery. The 2023 fourth-round pick did not allow a hit in 1 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out two, and walking three. Williams Montero got the win in relief, allowing two runs in 3 2/3.
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It was a perfect DSL victory for Team Blue, scoring 15 runs despite only having four hits on the strength of 17 walks, and six batters getting hit by pitches. Miguel Welch drove in two runs and scored three despite not getting an official at-bat, walking five times. Freyerso Vasquez singled, walked three times, was hit by a pitch, drove in three, and scored twice. Jesus Lopez got the start, allowing two unearned runs in one inning. Lopez struck out two and walked two, and has 11 punch outs in 7 2/3 across three appearances.
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It was a tough professional debut for Team Red starter Maikel Vargas, who allowed five runs in just 1/3 of an inning to get saddled with the loss. Leonel Figueroa, also making his first appearance as a pro, fared better with 2 1/3 scoreless frames, scattering three hits. At the plate, Joskairo Ramirez ripped his sixth double, giving him 10 extra-base hits in 13 games. Anderber Urbina was 2 for 3 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.
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Player of the Day: Did Franklin Primera get a hit today? Of course he did. With his three-hit, two-homer effort on Friday, he has a commanding lead in that circuit in all three slash-stat categories. Hitting .464/.589/.821, he holds nearly a .300 point lead in OPS. During his 15-game hitting streak, he is 26 for 50 (.520), with seven home runs and four doubles, good for a 1.020 slugging percentage. He also celebrated his 19th birthday on Tuesday.
Photo Credit: Franklin Primera by Kelly O'Connor