Red Sox Minor League Report: Skylar King Becomes First Salem RidgeYaks Player to Hit for the Cycle

Boston Red Sox Affiliate Recap

Triple-A Worcester Red Sox

Season Record: 41-42

Game postponed – makeup on July 8

Double-A Portland Sea Dogs

Season Record: 43-37

Game postponed – makeup on July 8

High-A Greenville Drive

Season Record: 32-47

Greenville bounced back after a tough series, defeating the Greensboro Grasshoppers (Pittsburgh Pirates) 6-2.

The bats did their thing, but Jojo Ingrassia was outstanding in his start. He was very close to throwing six perfect innings (no hits, walks, or runs); unfortunately, a two-run homer ended his night. Other than that, he was incredible, tossing 5 ⅔ innings with 10 strikeouts and two earned runs. 

The Drive led the entire game, not having to worry about the Grasshoppers for one second. Yoeilin Cespedes opened the scoring with a three-run blast in the third inning (15th of the season), giving Greenville a 3-0 lead. 

Since his seven-game hitting streak ended, 21-year-old Antonio Anderson has extended a new hitting streak, now at six games, after roping a two-run single in the fourth to give the Drive a 5-0 lead.

Ronny Hernandez was on fire in this contest, breaking his mini 0-for-11 slump with a 3-for-3 night, racking up two extra-base hits, including a solo shot (his 9th of the season) in the sixth inning that extended Greenville’s lead to 6-2

Griffin Kilander continued to look solid since his promotion from Salem, earning himself a 3 ⅓ inning save (his first save of the season) with three strikeouts and just one hit allowed.

Standout Performances:

• Jojo Ingrassia: 5 ⅔ IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 10 K
• Griffin Kilander: 3 ⅓ IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• Ronny Hernandez: 3-for-3, 2B, HR, 3 R, RBI, BB
• Yoeilin Cespedes: 1-for-5, HR, R, 3 RBI

Low-A Salem RidgeYaks

Season Record: 33-48

The RidgeYaks offense went ballistic, destroying the Columbia Fireflies (Kansas City Royals) 14-5. The pitching effort was not great, but the offense was unbelievable, tallying 21 hits, five walks, and 14 runs as a team. 

Seven of Salem’s nine hitters recorded multi-hit games, including a cycle from Skylar King, completing it in reverse order: HR, 3B, 2B, 1B. Three-hit performances came from Kleyver Salazar, Starlyn Nunez, and newly promoted Franklin Primera.

King set the tone early in the first inning with a leadoff bomb (his 10th of the season), giving the Yaks an early 1-0 lead. Adonys Guzman followed in the footsteps of his teammate, crushing a two-run shot in the second, extending Salem’s lead to 3-0. RBI singles from Nunez, Primera, and Salazar came in the third and fourth innings, putting the game out of reach already 6-0. 

Sloppy defense by the RidgeYaks in the bottom of the fourth helped out Columbia put up two runs to make it 6-2, but it still was not enough. King responded in the fifth inning with a two-run double, extending their lead to 8-2.

The closest the game came was in the fifth inning, when the Fireflies blasted a three-run homer, cutting the deficit to 8-5. It seemed close, but Salem’s hot bats were bound to score more runs.

Then came the big inning, with the RidgeYaks putting up a six-spot in the eighth. King opened it up with a single to complete his cycle. With one out and runners on the corners, Salazar earned his third hit of the game with an RBI single. Louis Andujar followed with an infield hit to load the bases, then Nunez roped a base-clearing double in the right-center gap. With two outs and two runners aboard, the runs kept coming: Anderson Fermin delivered a two-run double (2nd double of the game), and Ilan Fernandez brought him in with an RBI single, putting Salem up 14-5. 

Three separate pitchers for the Yaks gave up runs, but Wuilliams Rodriguez stopped the bleeding with three shutout innings and four strikeouts.

Standout Performances:

• Skylar King: 4-for-6, 2B, 3B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI (CYCLE)
• Starlyn Nunez: 3-for-5, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, SB
• Franklin Primera: 3-for-5, 2 R, BB
• Kleyver Salazar: 3-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB
• Adonys Guzman: 2-for-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB
• Anderson Fermin: 2-for-5, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI

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