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IL Worcester Red Sox

Hernandez' Eighth-Inning Blast Gives WooSox July 4 Win

July 4, 2022 - International League (IL)
Worcester Red Sox News Release


WORCESTER, M.A. - A go-ahead, eighth inning, three-run home run from Ronaldo Hernandez gave the Worcester Red Sox (43-36) an Independence Day win on Monday night, a 6-4 victory over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (36-43) in front of a crowd of 9,008 at Polar Park.

The WooSox entered the bottom of the eighth inning trailing 4-1, a frame that began with a single and a walk. With two on, Connor Wong stepped up and grounded a ball to short-SWB shortstop Oswald Peraza tried a glove flip to second, but tossed the ball in to right, allowing Yolmer Sanchez to score from second and pushing Devlin Granberg to third. Ryan Fitzgerald was next, and he lifted a sac-fly to left, cutting the deficit to 4-3. That was followed by back-to-back singles, bringing Ronaldo Hernandez to the plate with two on and two out.

Hernandez saw one pitch go by, then crushed the next to the berm in left for an eventual game-winning, three-run home run, sending the crowd of more than 9,000 in to a frenzy. Kaleb Ort capped off the memorable comeback in the ninth, facing the minimum to seal Worcester's 12th win in 14 games.

Geoff Hartlieb got the start for the WooSox in a scheduled bullpen day-two pitches in to the ballgame, the right-hander allowed a home run to Estevan Florial, a leadoff blast over the Worcester Wall. Hartlieb was dominant from there, striking out the next five batters he faced, exiting after two innings in a 1-0 game.

Following Hartlieb, Phillips Valdez tossed two runless innings, walking two with one strikeout. Darwinzon Hernandez had the fifth, making his first appearance since May 13 after being activated today off the injured list (torn meniscus). The left-hander looked strong, striking out the side on 14 pitches (10 strikes).

The 1-0 scoreline held until the sixth inning, when the RailRiders put a man on for Phil Evans. Working against reliever James Norwood, Evans cracked a double to left, allowing Oswald Peraza to score from first. Derek Dietrich was next, and he grounded a two-run single through the left side to make it 4-0 SWB.

Scranton-Wilkes-Barre starter Ken Waldichuk had tossed five scoreless, but Worcester answered the road team's rally immediately in the sixth. Sanchez led off with a single, and one batter later, Granberg delivered an RBI double to put the home team on the board.

The WooSox entered the day 1-29 when trailing after six innings, and the five-run eighth inning gave them their second win of the year in that fashion. Ort notched his 15th save of the season, tying him for first in the International League in that category (the right-hander led Triple-A East in saves in 2021 with 19).

The WooSox are off Tuesday and continue the six-game series Wednesday at 6:45 p.m. against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, affiliate of the New York Yankees. On the mound, Chris Sale is scheduled to make a rehab start for Worcester. Radio coverage is live at 6:25 p.m. on 100.1 FM The Pike, 98.9 Nash Icon and the WooSox Radio Network, while television coverage is on NESN+.

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