IL Worcester Red Sox

WooSox Fall in Series Finale, Finish 4-2 in First Homestand of 2022

Published on April 17, 2022 under International League (IL)
Worcester Red Sox News Release


WORCESTER, M.A. - Despite the first Worcester Red Sox (9-3) grand slam of the season, a late charge gave the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (5-7) a 19-11 on Sunday afternoon at Polar Park. The WooSox allowed nine runs in the sixth inning, more runs than they had allowed in an entire game this season.

On the mound, Josh Taylor went one inning for Worcester, making his first appearance of the 2022 regular season on rehab assignment (low back strain) from Boston. The left-hander threw 16 pitches (10 strikes), allowing a long leadoff home run to Roman Quinn before retiring the next three batters in order. Taylor closed the inning with a three-pitch strikeout of Derek Hall on a slider.

Thomas Pannone was the day's originally scheduled starter for the WooSox-he entered in the second and allowed a first pitch double to former WooSox Yairo Muñoz. After a popout, Jorge Bonifacio blasted a two-run home run to right center to make it 3-0 Lehigh Valley.

Worcester was held hitless through three and responded by promptly loading bases in the fourth. Franchy Cordero stepped in, then slapped an RBI single to center to put the home team on the board. Christin Stewart was next-he worked the count full before lifting the sixth pitch of the at-bat over the Worcester Wall in right for a go-ahead grand slam. The ball, which went 400 feet, gave Stewart his first homer off the season and marked the tenth WooSox player to go deep this season.

An inning later, Cordero came to the plate with the bases loaded for the second straight frame, and once again, the big left-hander took advantage. He crushed a 2-0 offering off the base of the wall in left-center, plating Jarren Duran, Triston Casas and Rob Refsnyder to make it 8-3 WooSox. Cordero finished the day with 4 RBI, extending his league-leading total to 18.

But the IronPigs roared back in the sixth on a nearly endless rally that began with a two-run double by Bonifacio, chasing Pannone from the game. That brought Derek Holland in to an 8-7 ballgame, and Ronald Torreyes greeted him by grounding a game-tying single to center. Holland struggled with command from there, walking three straight batters, including a bases-loaded walk to Donny Sands that made it 9-8 IronPigs and ended the left-hander's day. John Schreiber was the third pitcher of the inning, and he gave up a three-run double to Darick Hall that extended the Lehigh Valley lead to 12-8. Altogether, 13 batters came to the plate in the seven-hit, three-walk inning, as the Red Sox Triple-A affiliate allowed nine runs in a frame for the first time since May 5, 2007 (a 15-14 loss to Buffalo that PawSox manager Ron Johnson dubbed "Stinko de Mayo" after the game).

The IronPigs got seven more before the game's end-two in the seventh on an error in center by Rob Refsnyder, two in the eighth on RBI hits from John Andreoli and Jorge Bonifacio and three runs in the ninth, including a run-scoring single from Muñoz. Lehigh Valley's 19 runs are the most allowed by a Red Sox Triple-A squad since June 7, 2019 (a 19-4 loss to Rochester). RBI singles by Jarren Duran, Casas and Refsnyder gave the WooSox three runs in the ninth.

Despite the loss, Worcester enters the third week of the season atop the International League East and tied with Columbus for the best record in the IL.

The WooSox are off Monday and then begin a six-game series Tuesday on the road against the Syracuse Mets. On the mound, Connor Seabold, off five scoreless innings against Lehigh Valley, is set to face Syracuse's Thomas Szapucki. Radio coverage is live at 6:15 p.m. on 100.1 FM The Pike, 98.9 Nash Icon and the WooSox Radio Network.

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International League Stories from April 17, 2022


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