By Tiffany Williams –
WORCESTER, Mass. — The Worcester Red Sox held off a late rally to defeat the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, 6-5, on Saturday in front of a season-high sellout crowd of 9,508 at Polar Park.
Eight of the nine WooSox starters recorded at least one hit, with four posting multi-hit games. Worcester (63-61) improved to two games over .500, while Jacksonville (75-49) maintained the league’s best record. The Jumbo Shrimp lead the series 3-2 heading into Sunday’s finale.
Worcester spoiled the homecoming of Jacksonville starter Morgan McSweeney, a Hudson, Mass. native and Worcester Academy alum. Mikey Romero’s first-inning RBI single plated the game’s opening run, and Kristian Campbell’s two-run infield single in the second stretched the lead to 3-0.
In the third, Seby Zavala launched a two-run homer onto the left-field berm—his seventh of the year—pushing the margin to 5-0. Zavala finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Right-hander Tyler Uberstine delivered 5.2 strong innings for Worcester, scattering four hits and allowing two runs while striking out four. He improved to 3-3 on the season.
Jacksonville rallied in the sixth behind Cody Morissette’s two-run double, cutting the deficit to 5-2. Morissette, an Exeter, N.H., native and former Boston College standout, finished with two hits.
Nick Sogard’s RBI double in the bottom of the sixth provided key insurance, and Worcester carried a 6-3 lead into the ninth. Jumbo Shrimp catcher Joe Mack homered off reliever Zack Kelly to make it 6-5, but Kelly regrouped to secure his second save of the year.
The six-game set concludes Sunday at 1:05 p.m. with Worcester lefty Kyle Harrison (4-2, 3.69 ERA) facing Jacksonville southpaw Patrick Monteverde (4-4, 4.58). The matchup will be televised on NESN and carried on the WooSox Radio Network.