September 2, 2026 at 7:00 AM
Cup of Coffee: Schaffner hits first professional homer, Romero records four hits
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Mikey Romero led the charge in a huge night for the WooSox lineup, as he drove in a pair of runs with a double in the third inning as part of a 4-for-4 game. Romy Gonzalez homered in his second consecutive game, ripping a two-run homer to center field in the seventh inning. Franklin Arias went 2 for 4 with a walk and scored three runs. In his first game since being optioned to Worcester, Anthony Seigler drove in two runs with a double in the ninth and went 1 for 5 on the night.
Gage Ziehl was dialed in on the mound, throwing just 73 pitches (47 strikes) over 6 2/3 innings of work. He allowed one run on four hits, walking nobody while striking out four, and Ziehl has now pitched to a 4.81 ERA through his first five starts in Worcester. Noah Song struck out two batters and walked one in 1 1/3 innings of relief and Sam McWilliams struck out two in a scoreless frame.
Worcester gained some ground in the playoff hunt with the win, moving to 3.5 games behind Rochester, though they still have five teams to jump.
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Henry Godbout gave the Sea Dogs an early lead with a two-run shot in the third inning, going 1 for 4 overall in the game. However, Portland was unable to overcome a five-run sixth inning for the BaySox despite a pair of late rallies. Caden Rose drove in a run with a double in the seventh inning, going 1 for 3 with a walk on the night. Nelly Taylor was 1 for 3 with a double and he drove in a run on a sacrifice fly in the ninth. Center fielder Will Turner went 2 for 4 with a double and two runs scored.
Dalton Rogers was excellent over the first five innings of the game, allowing just a hit and a walk while striking out six batters. However, his luck turned in the sixth inning as he allowed three runs to cross the plate before departing the game. Rogers now has a 5.80 ERA in 76 innings with Portland this season. Cooper Adams followed him out of the bullpen and was hit hard, allowing three runs on six hits in 2 2/3 innings.
The Sea Dogs remain 4.5 games out of a playoff spot with 11 games left in the season.
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The Drive rode a thrilling rally to the win in their series opener against Bowling Green. After opening the ninth inning behind by one run, Yophery Rodriguez flipped the script as he unloaded on a three-run homer to put the Drive ahead. Nazzan Zanetello added a solo homer of his own later in the inning. First-round draft pick Jake Schaffner collected the first home run of his professional career as part of a 2-for-6 game and he is now hitting .301/.356/.398 in his first 18 games with the Drive. Antonio Anderson went 3 for 5 with a home run and three RBI.
The Greenville pitchers had tough nights on Tuesday despite piling up a huge number of strikeouts. Jacob Mayers fanned six batters in four innings, though he also allowed four runs on six hits and two walks. Brady Tygart recorded a remarkable 10 strikeouts out of the bullpen but he was tagged for seven runs (five earned) in 4 1/3 innings. Aaron Nixon picked up the save as he recorded the final two outs of the game.
Winston-Salem was also victorious, so the Drive remain 1 1/2 games out of a playoff spot with five games to go.
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The RidgeYaks opened their final home series of the season with an exclamation point, as they rallied for a walkoff win in extra innings. Down by a run entering the bottom of the tenth, Andrews Opata tied the game with a double and then came around to score on a game-winning single for Adonys Guzman. Opata reached base three times in the game, going 1 for 2 with two walks, three runs scored, and he recorded his 54th stolen base of the season. Guzman was 2 for 4 and he also drove in a run with a double in the eighth. Martin Shelar went 2 for 5 with an RBI single in the fifth.
Ethan Walker started on the mound and allowed three runs (two earned) in four innings of work, walking three batters and striking out four. Carson Revay struck out two batters without allowing a hit or walk in two innings of relief. Yermain Ruiz struck out five batters but surrendered two runs in 2 2/3 innings and Harry Blum worked through 2 1/3 innings while allowing just an unearned run.
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Player of the Day: Yophery Rodriguez was the star of the show in Greenville's come-from-behind win, vaulting the Drive from a one-run deficit to a two-run lead with a three-run homer in the top of the ninth. That key home run was far from Rodriguez's only contribution in the game as he also collected two doubles and went 3 for 4 with four runs, four RBI, and a walk on the night. Rodriguez's massive game pushed his slash line to .249/.318/.460 and he now has 15 home runs on the season.
Photo Credit: Yophery Rodriguez by Kelly O'Connor