-By Darryl Harding Sr
The sun creeps out briefly, attempting to warm what proves to be a chilly Worcester Redsox Doubleheader here at Polar Park. The Woosox welcome the league leading Columbus Clippers and although extremely early in this 2025 MiLB season the Clippers show promise with only two loses out of eight games played.
Making up for yesterday’s canceled game, due to frigid temperatures, two lefties begin the first match in Woosox pitcher Shane Drohan and Clipper Kolby Allard. Wielding a solid outing, Drohan managed to pitch through the first three innings without many issues. With a fastball steadily in the mid nineties, Drohan had only one errant cutter, that Clippers SS Will Wilson launched 428 feet to center field, to give Columbus a 1-0 advantage.
Bats were rather quiet in this now brisk 45 degree weather, Clippers did rally in the 3rd, loading the bases but Drohan pitched out of it unscathed. Drohan was relieved after 3.2 innings recording eight strikeouts on 81 pitches thrown.
Allard racked up two scoreless innings before Woosox C Nathan Hickey righted the ship, blasting a two run homer. Taking a four-seam fastball out of the yard, scored Hickey and CF Nate Eaton, who had previously singled.
Running into more trouble in the fourth, Allard allowed a single to Woosox SS Marcelo Mayer followed by a jack by 2B Vaughn Grissom, who shellacked a cutter, out of the lower left corner, and sent it 413 feet over left center. Now 4-1 the issues continued for Allard, who was relieved after an additional double, smacked by Worcesters’ 3B Abraham Toro.
Replaced after 3.1 innings Allard allowed five, considering RHP Bradley Hanner came in and almost immediately relinquished an RBI single to Hickey. Recording only two strikeouts, Allard threw 73 pitches, 45 in the strike zone.
Having recorded the last out of the fourth, right handed reliever Wyatt Mills had some trouble settling in. Unfortunately walking two batters and hitting two batters, Mills unwillingly permitted another Columbus run.
Still in the lead 5-2 the Woosox manage to hold that score until the finale out of the game, in the seventh ( MiLB doubleheaders consist of two, seven inning games.) This is when the Clippers showed Central Massachusetts why they only have two losses. Woosox RHP Jose Adames, who successfully chalked up the previous five out, then loaded the bases with a single, a walk and a hit batsman.
Woosox closer RHP Luis Guerrero then came in to impending doom as he gave away the game, surrendering a 414 feet grand slam to Columbus CF Will Brennan. Unable to rally back Worcester drops their first game in heartbreaking fashion 6-5.
Slightly colder at the start of the second game Woosox right handed starter Lucas Giolito climbs the mound. The Clippers struck first forcing Giolito into a 31 pitch first inning in which Wilson connected on an RBI double scoring Brennan.
Columbus starter lefty Will Dion spun through five innings but allowed the Woosox to regain the lead with an RBI single from SS Nick Sogard, in the third, and a wild pitch scoring CF Trayce Thompson, in the fourth, making the score 2-1.
Giolito settled in and commanded the hill until the fourth. With one out, he was replaced by RHP Bryan Mata. Giolito threw 64 pitches, 34 in the zone. Mata pitched well but in the top of the fifth, four consecutive singles tallied two Columbus runs from Wilson, again giving the Clippers a 3-2 advantage.
Dion, now exchanged for Columbus right handed reliever Luis Frias, threw 74 pitches with five strikeouts. Frias conceded the upper hand with a run on another Columbus wild pitch, scoring Grissom. The next Clippers pitcher, LHP Parker Mushinski, fared no better letting the Woosox take the edge on a walked in RBI scoring Toro.
Holding on to a 4-3 lead, the Woosox brought in RHP Isaiah Campbell for the save. Desperately clinging to a lead that would salvage a total collapse for the day, Woosox awkwardly granted Columbus a, 1B Kody Huff, RBI double, bringing Wilson across the plate for the tie.
Eerily similar to the heartbreaking first game loss, Woosox attempted a rally to refrain from squandering the entire day at the ballpark. Luckily Mushinski got into trouble, loading the bases setting up 2B Tyler McDonough to record the walk off RBI single.
Rescuing the doubleheader and winning the second game 5-4, Woosox split the day and prepare to face Columbus yet again tomorrow. “We were trailing in the sixth inning and took it back,” said Woosox club manager Chad Tracy, “all things considered, yeah we would have loved to grab two wins, but to grab that one and get outta here with a split… that was huge.”
Woosox continue their series with Columbus resuming Thursday at 6:05 pm.