July 3, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Hickey homers twice; King finishes triple shy of cycle
-----
Nathan Hickey had a strong night at the plate for Worcester, going 2 for 3 with two home runs, three RBI, two runs scored, and one walk. Braiden Ward and Mickey Gasper homered as well. Ward went 2 for 4 with his third home run of the season, one RBI, and two runs scored. Gasper went 1 for 4 with his seventh home run of the season, two RBI, one run scored, and one walk. Vinny Capra drove in one run and drew one walk, while Tyler McDonough scored two runs and drew one walk.
On the mound, Devin Sweet got the start for the WooSox and allowed a pair of solo homers in a two-run first inning. Tyler Uberstine followed by striking out five of the nine batters he faced over three perfect frames of relief. Osvaldo Berrios then served up a three-run bomb in the bottom of the fifth before Eduardo Rivera (who picked up the win) and Wyatt Olds (who recorded the save) combined for six strikeouts across 4 1/3 scoreless, no-hit innings of relief to close it out.
-----
Gage Ziehl pitched well again in his start for Portland, allowing just one earned run on six hits (including a home run to lead off the game), one walk, and eight strikeouts over five innings. He threw 71 pitches (45 strikes) and generated 16 whiffs. Dalton Rogers (who took the loss) and Jeremy Wu-Yelland struggled out of the bullpen, as they combined to surrender nine additional runs in four innings of relief.
Jack Winnay paced the Sea Dogs lineup, going 2 for 4 with one double, one home run, one RBI, and one run scored. Brooks Brannon also homered for the 11th time this season (a solo shot) as part of a 1-for-4 night. Johanfran Garcia drove in one run as well. Nick Sogard, in the first game of his rehab assignment, went 1 for 2 with one run scored and one walk while playing five innings at second base. Nelly Taylor drew two walks and stole his 20th base of the year.
-----
Kyson Witherspoon went four innings in his start for Greenville, allowing four earned runs on six hits (including one home run), two walks, one hit by pitch, and four strikeouts. He threw 85 pitches (53 strikes) and generated nine whiffs. Griffin Kilander impressed out of the bullpen, striking out six over four scoreless, no-hit innings. Matt McShane entered a tied game in the ninth and took the loss after giving up the winning run on a walk-off single.
Gerardo Rodriguez, Antonio Anderson, and Stanley Tucker accounted for six of the Drive's eight hits. Rodriguez went 2 for 3 with one run scored and one walk. Anderson went 2 for 4 with one double, two RBI, and one run scored. Tucker went 2 for 4 with one double and two RBI. Isaiah Jackson also doubled and scored one run.
-----
Five members of Salem's lineup enjoyed multi-hit performances in this one. Skylar King finished a triple shy of the cycle, going 3 for 5 with one double, one home run, four RBI, three runs scored, and one walk. Andrews Opata went 2 for 4 with two RBI, three runs scored, two stolen bases, and one walk. Adonys Guzman went 2 for 3 with one home run, three RBI, two runs scored, and one walk. Louis Andujar homered for the first time at the Low-A level as part of a 2-for-4 night in which he drove in three runs. Givian Sirvania went 2 for 4 with one double, three runs scored, and one walk. Andruw Musett and Ilan Fernandez both doubled as well, with the former collecting three RBI and the latter scoring three runs and drawing two walks.
Jacob Mayers lasted just 1 1/3 innings in his start for Salem after surrendering five runs (four earned) on no hits, three walks, one hit by pitch, and one strikeout. Only 21 of his 43 pitches landed for strikes. Joey Gartrell went the next 2 2/3 innings and limited Augusta to one run on four hits and four strikeouts. Brady Tygart and Adam Bates combined to give up four additional runs in 4 1/3 innings, while Nicolas De La Cruz recorded the final two outs of the ninth to close out this high-scoring affair.
-----
Harold Rivas and Maximus Martin accounted for five of the FCL squad's six hits on Thursday. Rivas went 3 for 3 with his fourth home run of the season, one RBI, two runs scored, and one walk. Martin went 2 for 4 with one double, his first home run of the season, one RBI, and two runs scored. Liosward Marin and Edwin Darville each drove in a run as well, while Jhorman Bravo doubled for his only hit.
Ethan Walker got the start and went two innings in his second rehab appearance. He allowed two earned runs on two hits, one walk, one hit by pitch, and one strikeout. Berny Ortiz, who was charged with the losing decision, and Christopher Cordero combined to surrender nine additional runs (eight earned) across seven total innings of relief.
-----
This game was suspended due to lightning following a 32-minute delay in the bottom of the fourth inning. Before that decision was reached, Jesus Lopez had allowed one earned run on no hits, three walks, one hit by pitch, and two strikeouts over two innings in his start for the Blue squad. Ericskon Ettien, meanwhile, had been tagged for five earned runs in the bottom of the third. Offensively, Maikol Tovar had gone 1 for 2 with a two-run single that scored Santiago Yanes and Enmanuel Figuereo. Isaac Velasquez had also driven in a run on an RBI groundout that plated Miguel Welch.
-----
This game ended earlier than anticipated, as it was called after seven innings due to lightning. Isaac Brujan picked up his first professional win while making the longest start of his young career. He scattered three hits, four walks, and five strikeouts over six scoreless innings. Ranci Castillo allowed one run on two hits in the seventh. At the plate, Axell Herrera led the way by going 2 for 3 with his second home run of the season, two RBIs, and one run scored. Anderber Urbina tripled and scored two runs as part of a 2-for-4 day. Dawvris Brito went 1 for 1 with one double, one RBI, one run scored, one stolen base, and three walks. Jhonny Osta and Geomaikel Martinez drove in runs as well.
-----
Player of the Day: Skylar King gets the nod for putting together his second three-hit game of 2026. The 22-year-old outfielder is now batting .223/.316/.380 with nine doubles, nine home runs, 31 RBIs, 38 runs scored, 24 stolen bases, 27 walks, and 51 strikeouts in 63 games (264 plate appearances) for Salem this season. He was Boston's 15th-round pick in last summer's draft out of West Virginia and is not ranked among the organization's top 60 prospects.
Photo Credit: Nathan Hickey by Kelly O'Connor