By Stephen Ur –
The Worcester Red Sox hosted the first game of the series against the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs at Polar Park in Worcester, MA on Tuesday evening. The WooSox were coming off a series loss on the road against the Toledo Mud Hens, dropping four of the six games in that series.
This was the second series of the season between the Sox and Iron Pigs. Worcester took two of three from Lehigh Valley on the road in their season-opening series.
The Iron Pigs jumped on the WooSox fast and early in this game as they scored the first two runs of the game before the Sox could record their second out of the first inning. The first run came by way of Kody Clemens, who stole second base in the inning, scored on a single to right field by Darick Hall. The second run came on a sacrifice fly from Esteban Quiroz, allowing Jordan Luplow to score.
The Red Sox would get out of the jam, but not before starting pitcher Richard Fitts gave up two earned runs on two hits with just one strikeout.
Just as the Iron Pigs had in the top half of the inning, the WooSox came at Lehigh Valley’s pitching fast and early and with the bases loaded with no outs, Jamie Westbrook doubled to left field, scoring both Nick Sogard and Chase Meidroth to score and tie the game at two. A double from Niko Kavadas allowed Westbrook and Nathan Hickey to score, giving the WooSox a 4-2 lead with just one out in the bottom of the first inning.
Worcester would tag on one more in the second and two more in the third, extending their lead to 7-2. Iron Pigs pitcher Max Castillo’s night would be over after that. He gave up seven earned runs on seven hits, three walks, and only struck out four.
While the offense was taking care of business, Fitz himself redeemed himself after struggling in the first inning. By the end of the top of the sixth inning, he’d retired 17 consecutive batters before giving up a double to Hall with two outs. His night would end after six innings. He finished giving up two earned runs on six hits and striking out seven.
The WooSox would add a few more runs, including a three-run home run from Karson in a four-run eighth, and closed out an 12-5 victory to open the series with a win. The two teams will meet for the second game of the series at Polar Park on Wednesday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. ET.