WooSox Rally in Eighth to Beat IronPigs 7-5, Win Fourth in a Row
Published on June 20, 2023 under International League (IL)
Worcester Red Sox News Release
WORCESTER, M.A. - An eighth inning comeback gave the Worcester Red Sox (36-34) their fourth straight win, a 7-5 victory over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (34-34) on Tuesday night at Polar Park.
Down 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth, Nick Sogard began the WooSox rally with an infield single. Stephen Scott followed with a walk, and after a strikeout, Niko Goodrum stepped up with the tying run in scoring position.
He worked a 1-2 count, then lined the fourth pitch he saw to left-center for a game-tying single, his third hit of the day. Ronaldo Hernandez walked, loading the bases for Daniel Palka, who drilled a single to left as well, the eventual game-winning swing that put the home team on top 7-5.
Brendan Nail tossed a scoreless top of the ninth, his third straight runless appearance out of the bullpen, locking down the WooSox' ninth win in 11 games. Out of 36 wins, 23 of Worcester's victories have been in come-from-behind fashion.
Goodrum opened the scoring in the bottom of the second, smashing a 423-foot solo home run to the left of the batter's eye in center. In 14 June games, the 31-year-old now has 17 hits, two homers and 12 RBI. His daughter, Carina, celebrated her second birthday at the ballpark on Tuesday night.
Lehigh Valley answered moments later, beginning a threat with back-to-back walks to start the third. Jake Cave and Drew Ellis followed with consecutive RBI doubles, the latter of which drove home two to make it 3-1 IronPigs.
An inning later, Bobby Dalbec came up and delivered another monster swing for Worcester, smashing a solo home run off a moving train in left field. The ball left his bat at 115 miles-per-hour, giving the 27-year-old his team-leading 18th Triple-A long ball of the season.
The IronPigs grabbed the run back on an RBI groundout in the fifth, the final run of the day allowed by starter Shane Drohan. The left-hander concluded his seventh WooSox start with the following line: 5.0, 5 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 5 K.
Joely Rodríguez, appearing on a rehab assignment, tossed 15 pitches in relief of Drohan. He got two outs, striking out one and allowing a pair of hits: a single and an RBI double to Scott Kingery. Twelve of Rodríguez' 15 pitches were strikes.
Trailing 5-2, the WooSox rallied for two runs on four hits in the seventh. Goodrum, Hernandez and Palka began the frame with three straight singles, the last of which brought home Goodrum. After a flyout, Christian Koss beat out a would-be double play, allowing Hernandez to cross the plate and cut the deficit to 5-4.
Out of the bullpen, Oddanier Mosqueda came in to get the final out of the sixth before a runless seventh, and Theo Denlinger (1-0) did the same in the eighth, setting up Worcester's eighth-inning comeback.
The WooSox continue the six-game series at Polar Park on Wednesday night at 6:45 p.m. against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. On the mound, Kyle Barraclough (NR) makes his organizational debut, facing Nick Nelson (0-0, 2.45). Television coverage is on NESN+, while radio coverage is live at 6:25 p.m. on 100.1 FM The Pike, 98.9 Nash Icon and the WooSox Radio Network.
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