By Darryl Harding Sr –
A bit of afternoon rain is not enough to halt MiLB baseball as the Worcester Red Sox take on the Syracuse Mets in an Independence Day matchup. This short three game homestand finds the WooSox in 3rd place 1 ½ games out of 1st place with a 5-3 record.
Returning to the mound for the start is 5-2 RHP Richard Fitts approaching the rubber 4.11 ERA. LHP Joey Lucchesi begins for the Mets touting 58 strikeouts to commence. Mets have 3B Brett Baty batting .326 while Woosox sluggers SS Chase Meidroth and 2B Nick Yorke step to the plate batting .309 and .337 prospectively.
Woosox skipper Chad Tracy looks for the victory on his birthday, commenting on the Woosox hitting, “as a total group we’re swinging the bat extremely well… we’re driving the ball, we’re working counts… doing a hell of a job.”
Unfortunately, it was the Mets bats that came alive in the 4th inning with a three-run homer by Mets LF and former Red Sox infielder Yolmer Sanchez. Mets continued to add to their lead in three consecutive innings after, putting up crooked numbers in the 5th, 6th and 7th.
Highlighted by homers by SS Rylan Bannon and 2B Luke Ritter. Lucchesi manage to complete seven full innings allowing only one run to a previously red hot Woosox offense.
Throwing 94 pitches, 54 for strikes, Lucchesi cooled off Woosox bats considerably. Fitts went four innings with three earned runs, all off of the three run homer. In relief, RHP Chase Shugart spun 2.1 innings and his usual sharpness waned, giving up five earned runs.
9-1 is the final score, WooSox look to bounce back and take the next two games versus Syracuse and turn this series around.