By DJ Harding
The Worcester Red Sox have dropped the first two games of their six game series against the Rochester Red Wings.
The Woo Sox have had a rough time against Rochester as the Red Wings are 17-8 at Polar Park since 2021. This stretch has given the Red Wings a 27-24 lead in the all time series.
Worcester despite the woes against Rochester at home have won 15 of their last 20 games in Rochester.
Overall Worcester/Pawtucket versus Rochester in the last 43 ½ years have won 348 games to Rochester’s 350.
Game three would go differently then their recent woes as they would pick up a 5-4 win. This would also keep the Woo Sox from tying the most games below .500 this season with six as they were 8-14 on April 26.
Rio Gomez would get the start for Worcester pitching 3 ⅓ innings allowing five hits and two runs.
Woo Sox Manager Chad Tracy postgame said “ Gomez has given us two great starts and kept us in the game both times”
For Rochester Wily Peralta would be given the start pitching for six innings allowing five hits and two runs.
Worcester would almost give up a run to start the game. But with the bases loaded Gomez would catch a ball with his bare hand. This happened after the ball would bounce off his glove and knock the glove off his hand entirely.
Worcester would then respond in the bottom of the first scoring the first run of the game.
Ryan Fitzgerald would hit a sacrifice fly that would score Nick Sogard. This was Fitzgerald’s 41st RBI of the season.
The game would see two scoreless innings in the second and third but Rochester would score three runs in the top of the fourth.
Travis Blankenhorn would hit his eighth homer of the season to tie the game at one run a piece.
A throwing error would score the second run before a Carter Kieboom Triple would score run number three.Kieboom hit his first triple of the season.
During this middle inning part of the game Brenden Nail would make his Triple A Debut. Nail would go 3 ⅔ innings given up 3 hits and 2 runs. Mail would be given the win which was his first.
Manager Tracy would say postgame “ Nail did great he had some jitters but overcame them and did well.”
Bradley Zimmer would gain Worcester another run in the bottom of the fifth with his third homer of the season.
Franmil Reyes would hit a homerun of his own in the top of the seventh which was his second of the season to put Rochester up 4-2.
The Woo Sox would answer and answer big in the bottom of the seventh scoring three runs and taking a 5-4 lead.
Niko Goodrum would score two runs off of a single. Goodrum would get his 27th and 28th RBIs from that single.
Bobby Dalbec scored the third run Christian Koss to give the Woo Sox the lead and they wouldn’t look back.
Manager Tracy said “ It feels great to get the win as we let the last two slip away and to finish strong and win it was great.”
Tracy would also mention that the dugout had good vibes during the eighth inning rally.
The Woo Sox improve to 28-32 while the Red Wings fall to 28-30.
Game four of this series will be tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 6:45 PM EST