6/29 Cup of Coffee: It was an action-packed Saturday for Boston’s affiliates. Blaze Jordan and Vaughn Grissom both homered while Kristian Campbell played hero for Worcester, Payton Tolle (pictured) and David Sandlin struck out 16 of the 32 batters they faced for Portland, Noah Dean and Michael Sansone put together strong starts for Greenville, and Austin Ehrlicher impressed on the mound for Salem.
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Cooper Criswell went five innings in his ninth start of the year for Worcester, yielding two earned runs on five hits, two walks, one hit by pitch, and three strikeouts. He threw 87 pitches (51 strikes), generating 10 whiffs. Hobie Harris and Bryan Mata combined for three scoreless frames of relief before making way for fellow righty Isaiah Campbell, who put up another zero in the ninth and allowed just one unearned run (the automatic runner) to score in the bottom of the 10th to secure the victory.
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Payton Tolle was stellar in his Double-A debut, allowing just one earned run on one hit, two walks, and nine strikeouts over five strong innings. The 22-year-old lefty threw 83 pitches (57 strikes), inducing 19 whiffs. David Sandlin followed out of the bullpen and was equally as impressive, scattering one hit and two walks while fanning seven across four scoreless frames. Yovanny Cruz took the loss after surrendering two runs (one earned) in the latter half of the 11th. Offensively, Max Ferguson stood out by going 2 for 3 with one RBI, one run scored, two stolen bases, and one walk. Allan Castro and Ronald Rosario both doubled for their only hits of the contest. James Tibbs III drew one walk and stole one base.
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Noah Dean took the tough-luck loss in Game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader. The 24-year-old lefty allowed just one earned run on three hits (including one home run), one walk, and seven strikeouts over five solid innings. He threw 80 pitches (50 strikes) and generated 15 whiffs. Fellow southpaw Manuel Medina, making his High-A debut, gave up one run on two hits in his lone inning of relief. At the plate, Greenville was limited to five hits (all singles) as a team. Nazzan Zanetello was responsible for two of those knocks, while Miguel Bleis, Johanfran Garcia, and Juan Montero accounted for the other three.
Michael Sansone took home the win to cap off Saturday’s twin bill. The 25-year-old lefty scattered one hit and no walks while striking out three over five scoreless innings. He faced one over the minimum and threw 52 pitches (43 strikes), inducing seven whiffs. Jacob Webb notched the save by striking out a pair across two shutout frames of his own. Albert Feliz provided the only scoring when he drove in Freili Encarnacion on a second-inning RBI single. Yophery Rodriguez doubled as part of a 3-for-3 showing.
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This was the completion of Friday night’s game, which was suspended due to rain in the third inning. Austin Ehrlicher, who took over for Friday’s starter Ben Hansen, gave up two hits, two walks, and one hit by pitch while striking out three over 5 2/3 scoreless innings to earn the winning decision. Calvin Bickerstaff hit a batter, allowed one unearned run, and struck out two in his lone inning of work. Offensively, Andruw Musett led the way by going 2 for 4 with one double, two RBIs, and one run scored. Enddy Azocar (who drove in one run, scored twice, and stole one base) and Justin Gonzales (who drew one walk) both recorded two hits as well. Starlyn Nunez doubled and scored one run.
Hickory Crawdads (TEX) @ Salem Red Sox (PPD)
A seven-inning game was supposed to follow the completion of Friday’s contest on Saturday, but it was postponed due to inclement weather. As such, these two sides played another doubleheader on Sunday afternoon.
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Yoelvin Chirino got the start for the FCL Red Sox and pitched three scoreless, no-hit innings in which he walked two and struck out three. Fellow righty Tejahari Wilson worked a scoreless ninth inning out of the bullpen. Ilan Fernandez led the charge at the plate by going 2 for 3 with his first home run of the season, one RBI, two runs scored, and one walk. Jorge Rodriguez went 2 for 3 with one walk and one stolen base. Anderson Fermin, Gerardo Rodriguez, and Jhoan Peguero each drove in one run. Tavano Baker scored one run, drew one walk, and swiped two bags.
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Three members of the Blue squad’s lineup recorded three hits on Saturday. Hector Ramos went 3 for 5 with one home run, two RBIs, four runs scored, and one walk. Eliezer Alfonzo went 3 for 4 with one RBI, two runs scored, one walk, and one stolen base. Maikol Tovar went 3 for 4 with two doubles, four RBIs, one run scored, one stolen base, and one walk. Christopher Alvarado also doubled and drove in one run as part of a 2-for-5 day. Pitching-wise, Luis Cabrera earned the win in relief after scattering two hits, one walk, and two strikeouts over 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Josue Brito, the Blue squad’s starting first baseman, recorded the final out of the ninth to notch his first professional save.
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Dorian Soto led the way out of the leadoff spot, going 2 for 4 with one double, two RBIs, two runs scored, and one walk. Krishan Ulacio and Kevin Morillo each had two hits as well, with the latter plating two runs, scoring another, and drawing one walk. Givian Sirvania also doubled as part of a 1-for-2 showing in which he drove in one run and drew two walks. Allan Griman was credited with the winning decision after scattering four walks over two scoreless, no-hit innings out of the bullpen. Eddison Septimo retired the only batter he faced in the ninth to secure the first save of his professional career.
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Photo Credit: Payton Tolle by Kelly O’Connor
