Cup of Coffee: Anthony tallies two hits for Worcester; Encarnacion homers for Salem

4/14 Cup of Coffee: The weather in Portland did not cooperate again, as the doubleheader got postponed. Worcester used a balanced offensive attack to get by Columbus, while Yophery Rodriguez continued to make a good impression with Greenville. A home run from Freili Encarnacion (pictured) was not enough for Salem as it fell one run short. 

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Worcester's bats woke up as it took the series finale from the Clippers. Roman Anthony went 2 for 5 with an RBI as the designated hitter, and Vaughn Grissom went 2 for 3 with an RBI, walk, and stolen base. Nick Sogard went 1 for 2 with a double, stolen base, and two walks, Trayce Thompson went 2 for 4 with a double and a stolen base, and Nate Eaton went 2 for 3 with an RBI double, stolen base, walk, and an outfield assist. 

Liam Hendriks served as the opener, notching one walk and one strikeout in a scoreless inning. Hunter Dobbins followed with three innings of three-run ball, and Robert Stock struck out four and allowed one run in his three frames. Nick Burdi picked up the win by recording the final four outs after Phillip Sikes gave the team the lead with a two-run double in the eighth. 

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Sunday's doubleheader was postponed, and will be made up in New Hampshire when the Sea Dogs visit the Fisher Cats the week of April 29 - May 4. 

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The Asheville pitching staff limited the damage as the Tourists took care of business. Three Greenville batters had multi-hit games, with Yophery Rodriguez, Marvin Alcantara, and Justin Riemer all going 2 for 4, while the rest of the team combined to go 2 for 23. Jedixson Paez allowed two runs over three innings, striking out three without walking a batter. Erik Rivera struggled in his second straight appearance, surrendering five runs over 3 2/3. 

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Salem scored four times over the first three innings, but Fredericksburg came back thanks in part to four errors by the Red Sox. Adam Bates allowed one hit and struck out four over three innings, but gave up two runs (one earned). Nicolas De La Cruz made his season debut and allowed two runs (one earned) over his two frames, and Joe Vogatsky struck out four in 2 1/3 innings of one-run ball. For the first time this season, Franklin Arias did not record a hit as he went 0 for 4. Freili Encarnacion was the star offensively, going 2 for 4 with a two-run home run. Kelvin Diaz and Starlyn Nunez added doubles, with Diaz's driving in two runs. 

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Player of the Day: A two-run home run from Freili Encarnacion was enough to win the award in a rain-shortened slate. Encarnacion has come out hot in his second stint with Salem, batting .355/.382/.677 with two home runs over the first eight games. The 20-year-old is still about a half-year younger than the average player in the league, and he already matched last year's home run total in 72 fewer games. Encarnacion signed for $1,100,000 in 2022 out of the Dominican Republic, but he dropped out of the top-60 after hitting .244/.290/.329 last season. Fans are hoping he has turned a corner, and will start to show the offensive profile that led to him receiving a high signing bonus.