IL Worcester Red Sox

Rafaela Homers for First Triple-A Hit in WooSox Doubleheader Sweep

Published on June 29, 2023 under International League (IL)
Worcester Red Sox News Release


BUFFALO, NY - The Worcester Red Sox (2-0, 41-36) swept the Buffalo Bisons (0-2, 34-44) in a Thursday night doubleheader at Sahlen Field with a 5-2 win in Game 1 and a 4-2 victory in Game 2 to start the second half of the season with a 2-0 record.

A night packed with highlights was headlined by Ceddanne Rafaela's (pronounced: Say-DON Raf-eye-ELLA) first Triple-A hit, a 400-foot home run to the opposite field that broke a 0-0 tie in the fifth inning of Game 2. Rafaela is a Top 100 prospect according to MLB.com, and ranks No. 2 in the Red Sox organization.

Worcester blasted four other home runs across the doubleheader: Niko Goodrum's two-run bomb in the sixth inning of Game 1, and a remarkable three-homer outburst in the sixth inning of Game 2 with no-doubt shots from Bobby Dalbec, Daniel Palka, and Narciso Crook.

In the opener, Kyle Barraclough (W, 2-0) logged his second stellar start since being signed from the independent Atlantic League last week. He held Buffalo to two runs in five innings on three hits, two walks, and two strikeouts.

Casey Lawrence (L, 2-7) held the WooSox at bay for his first three frames, but Ronaldo Hernandez got Worcester on the board in the top of the fourth to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead. After Nick Sogard singled and Goodrum walked, Hernandez hooked a first-pitch slider from Casey Lawrence into the left field corner to bring home both runners.

Crook and Stephen Scott started the fifth inning with back-to-back doubles, and Scott split the gap in right center to plate Crook and extend the lead to 3-1. Scott has driven in nine runs over his last four games, and Crook extended his season-high on-base streak to 14 games.

Goodrum had the biggest swing of Game 1, a two-run blast off Zach Pop that padded Worcester's lead to 5-2 in the sixth. Bobby Dalbec reached with a hit-by-pitch to start the inning, and Goodrum followed by skying a sinker beyond the fence in right center for his eighth home run of the season.

Thanks to those insurance runs, Brendan Nail (S, 2) had enough cushion to navigate a six-out save. He put together a 1-2-3 sixth, but two singles and a hit batter loaded the bases with one out in the final frame. Nail got Otto Lopez to fly out to shallow center, and then Rafaela snagged a Jordan Luplow liner with a sprinting catch in right center to end the ballgame.

The two Bisons runs scored in identical small-ball fashion in Game 1. Cameron Eden walked, stole a base, and came home on a Nathan Lukes single in the third. Rafael Lantigua touched the plate in the fifth after drawing a walk, stealing a base, and scoring on a Tanner Morris base knock.

Game 2, a 4-2 WooSox win, stayed scoreless until Rafaela's long ball in the fifth. After going hitless in his first six plate appearances, he launched a 2-2 cutter from Zach Thompson (L, 4-5) high over the right field fence. It was the only run Thompson allowed in five innings.

Worcester busted the game open in the sixth with three homers against Hagen Danner. Dalbec led off the inning with a 404-foot laser to right, crushing his 19th home run of the season on his 28th birthday. Palka and Crook went back-to-back with two outs in the frame, with Palka powering one 396 feet to right, and Crook cranking one 409 feet to straightaway center.

Four WooSox relievers combined for seven impressive innings in the nightcap. Chase Shugart allowed just a single and a walk in two innings, then Andres Nunez (W, 4-2) tossed two scoreless frames in his Worcester debut. Tayler Scott (H, 1) worked out of a pair of jams in two shutout innings of his own.

A.J. Politi finished things off in the seventh, despite surrendering his first two runs since June 4 on RBI singles from Spencer Horwitz and Jordan Luplow.

The series continues on Friday at Sahlen Field, as the second-half-leading WooSox look for a third straight win over the Bisons with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Pregame coverage will begin at 6:45 p.m. on the 98.9 NASH Icon WooSox Radio Network.

The WooSox return home to Polar Park on Tuesday, July 4 to kick off a six-game homestand with a spectacular UniBank Fireworks show to celebrate Independence Day.

Check out the Worcester Red Sox Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



International League Stories from June 29, 2023


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central