By Darryl Harding Sr –
On a day that seemingly threatened to be postponed, the sun broke through the clouds just in time for MiLB baseball, as the Worcester Redsox face the Syracuse Mets. In this final contest of a three game homestand, the Woosox look to avoid the sweep.
Donning the mound for Worcester is RHP Cooper Criswell, starting the match with a 1.83 ERA. Criswell breezed through the first four innings, 12 up and 12 down, striking out five. It wasn’t until the top of the 5th that the Mets got their first baserunner when DH Pablo Reyes was hit by a pitch. Followed by a single by RF Carlos Cortez, Criswell was successful in leaving batters stranded on 1st and 2nd.
Pitching for the Mets, RHP Mike Vasil comes in with a 3-4 record and 51 strikeouts. Allowing only two singles by 2B Nick Yorke (.327 average) in the 1st and 3B Chase Meidroth (.309 average) in the 3rd. Still a scoreless ballgame in the bottom of the 5th when LF Eddy Alvarez blasted a 415ft. bomb to center field.
Now 1-0, Vasil only ran into more trouble in the 6th, relinquishing a two run homer to 1B Mickey Gasper, his 4th of the year. After spinning a doozy, permitting only one hit in six scoreless innings, Criswell was spelled by newly acquired RHP Alex Speas, picked up from the Astros organization.
Leading 3-0 Criswell threw 83 pitches, 57 for strikes with 8 Ks. Woosox club manager Chad Tracy commented on Criswell’s performance, “He was amazing.. a hard single from (RF Carlos) Cortez is all they got off him. Exactly what we needed, exactly when we needed it.”
Right handed reliever Bryce Montes de Oca came in for Syracuse the 7th, leaving Vasil on the hook. Immediately giving up an added run, Montes de Oca reluctantly enabled an RBI single to SS Nick Sogard after a fancy double steal by Alvarez and C Tyler Heineman.
After squeaking by scoreless in the 7th, Speas was relieved by RHP Byran Mata, who got passed the 8th and 9th innings preventing any runs and granting the Woosox a 4-0 shutout. Woosox will continue the season Tuesday July 9th with a six game homestand against the Rochester Red Wings at 6:45pm.