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IL Worcester Red Sox

WooSox and Mets Split Saturday Doubleheader in Syracuse

August 10, 2024 - International League (IL)
Worcester Red Sox News Release


SYRACUSE, NY -- In their doubleheader on Saturday afternoon, the Worcester Red Sox (18-20)/(53-60) won game one 5-4 behind home runs from Nathan Hickey and Mickey Gasper, but the Syracuse Mets (18-20)/(64-48) took game two by a final score of 5-2 following a decisive three-run sixth inning. Triston Casas continued his rehab assignment in game one, walking twice in four plate appearances.

In game one, the WooSox jumped out to an early lead, plating four runs in the first inning. After leading off the game with a base knock to extend his hitting streak to 10 games, Mickey Gasper scored on a wild pitch for the first run of the ballgame. Two batters later, Nathan Hickey belted a three-run, 418-foot blast over the Salt City Deck in right field to cap Worcester's big inning.

Starting his second game with the WooSox, Quinn Priester looked excellent in his first two innings, retiring all six batters he faced while striking out three. But in the third, the Mets led off the frame with back-to-back hits before Brett Baty launched his 12th long ball of the year. In the blink of an eye, the WooSox' four-run lead was down to one.

Worcester's bats were held quiet through the fourth inning, but in the fifth, Gasper stayed white hot. The 28-year-old drilled his eighth home run of the year and his second in as many games to give the WooSox a crucial insurance run.

During Gasper's 11-game hitting streak--which he extended in game two with another multi-hit effort--the New Hampshire native is hitting an otherworldly .475/.577/.850 with four home runs, 11 RBIs, and 15 runs scored. Serving as the WooSox' leadoff man in two of the last three games, Gasper has 11 walks to just five strikeouts as he continues his incredible stretch at the plate.

The Mets got the run back in the fifth inning on Luisangel Acuña's RBI bloop single off Zach Penrod, who began the frame on the mound in relief of Priester. Bailey Horn took over for the sixth and pitched two hitless innings to finish off Syracuse, securing the WooSox' 5-4 win in game one of Saturday's doubleheader.

Penrod (W, 1-1) was awarded the victory while Blade Tidwell (L, 0-5) remained winless with the Mets in 2024.

In game two, the first inning runs kept coming for the WooSox. With one out, Worcester loaded the bases and plated two on Eddy Alvarez's RBI groundout and a double steal of second and home. But Syracuse quickly got a run back in the bottom half of the inning after DJ Stewart drove home Acuña with an RBI single. At the end of the first, the WooSox were on top, 2-1.

Two innings later, the Mets looked poised for a big inning when they loaded the bases with one out against Worcester starter Brian Van Belle. Looking to continue his excellent season head-to-head with the WooSox, Luke Ritter dug in the box and lined the first pitch directly at Chase Meidroth, who snagged the ball out of the air and doubled off Acuña at second base to end the inning. Heading to the fourth, Worcester maintained their narrow 2-1 lead.

Naoyuki Uwasawa relieved Van Belle to begin the fourth and picked up two strikeouts in a perfect first inning of work. But with two outs in the fifth, Baty lined a game-tying opposite field homer--his second of the doubleheader--to knot the game up at two.

Uwasawa remained on the mound to start the sixth, but after walking the bases loaded with nobody out, he was replaced by Joely Rodriguez with former Red Sox Jackie Bradley Jr. due up. The WooSox southpaw induced a grounder to second, but the ball snuck under the glove of Vaughn Grissom, allowing two runs to score. The Mets would add one more on JT Schwartz's double to take a 5-2 lead into the seventh.

Trailing by three in the final inning of the doubleheader, the WooSox went down quietly as they settled for their eighth split of the season. Uwasawa (L, 5-4) was handed the loss in game two while Boston native Mike Vasil (W, 6-7) picked up the win for Syracuse. In 10 doubleheaders this year, Worcester is now 0-2-8 (no sweeps, twice swept, eight splits).

The WooSox and Mets will wrap-up their six-game series at NBT Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. Jason Alexander (4-6, 4.79) will get the start for Worcester and is scheduled to face Tylor Megill for Syracuse (2-0, 3.25). Radio coverage for the series finale begins at 12:45 p.m. on 98.9 Nash Icon and the WooSox Radio Network.

BOX SCORE (GAME 1) - WOR 5, SYR 4

BOX SCORE (GAME 2) - WOR 2, SYR 5

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