-By Darryl Harding Sr
A bit breezy but still 73° today at Polar Park as the Worcester Redsox host the Buffalo Bison in this first game of the series. Coming off their last successful home stand, topping the Ironpigs 4-2, Woosox look to continue operating efficiently on the cylinders.
Starting off for the Woosox on the mound is right hander Jose De Leon, with forty-nine strikeouts registered in fourteen games. De Leon pitched the first and second inning without an awakening of Bison bats.
On the other hand Woosox struck quickly posting two runs in the first. Due to Woosox CF Jhostynxon “the password” Garcia RBI and a RBI on a force out by 2B Vaughn Grissom. This was all tallied against Bison starter RHP Lazaro Estrada.
Estrada settled in and the Bison offense was able to reciprocate with their own crooked number, tying up the game in the third. Immediately regaining the lead off a RF Trayce Thompson solo homer, Woosox quickly put themselves back with an advantage.
De Leon was replaced after completing four innings, throwing forty-six in the zone out of seventy-nine pitches thrown. Chad Tracy, Woosox skipper commented on De Leon, “ he had a couple moments where the game could have absolutely swung in favor of the other dugout and [De Leon] made a pitch or like struck out a couple. I say, he bent but did not break and he gave us four innings which we needed.”
The advantage was short-lived as Buffalo crashed backwith an additional two runs to take the lead and make it 4-3. With two runs on each De Leon and Sandlin’s Era, Sandlin relieved De Leon after the fourth, Woosox counted on the productiveness of it’s offense and it’s bullpen.
Woosox didn’t wait long, and an RBI single from 2b Kristian Campbell knotted up the game and LF Nate Eaton caught an 80 mph slider and took it yard for a three run homer, making it 7-4. Giving Worcester a power position in the latter half of the game.
As it turns out the Woosox bats were not to be silenced. SS Nick Sogard added an RBI double and IL Player of the Week, CF Jhostynxon “the password” Garcia chalked up three more runs on a triple.
Now holding a comfortable 10-4 lead, the Woosox counted on righties Zack Kelly, Nick Burdi and Hobie Harris to come to the stripe to finish up the Woosox victory. Although Buffalo tacked on 2 runs in the eighth, attributed to Burdi, 10-6 proved to be an upper hand too steep to overcome.
A 10-6 final Woosox look to add to the win column Wednesday at 6.45pm at Polar Park.