Lehigh Valley closed out the series at Coca-Cola Park with a 4-1 victory over Worcester on Sunday, evening the set.
The WooSox (37-31) had an early chance in the first inning when Jhostynxon Garcia drew a one-out walk, but the inning quickly unraveled as Blaze Jordan grounded into a double play. In response, the WooSox infield came out strong in the bottom half, retiring the side with three quick groundouts.
The top of the second felt like a repeat. Nathan Hickey singled to right field with one out, giving Worcester some life—but once again, it was snuffed out when Tyler McDonough followed with a double play.
The IronPigs put two runners on base in the bottom half, yet a groundout from Rafael Lantigua shut the door.
In the third, Lehigh’s outfield handled two fly balls and starter Andrew Painter added a strikeout to keep Worcester at bay. The IronPigs followed with a brief offensive spark as Rodolfo Castro doubled to right, but Worcester’s defense answered with a groundout and a lineout that turned into an unassisted double play by Jordan.
Both teams remained locked in a defensive battle until the bottom of the fifth, when Lehigh (46-23) finally broke through.
After replacing starter Cooper Criswell with Zach Penrod, the WooSox allowed a leadoff walk to Cal Stevenson. A sacrifice bunt moved him to third, and a wild pitch allowed him to score the game’s first run. Moments later, Castro—who had doubled after the first run—crossed the plate on another wild pitch, pushing the IronPigs’ lead to 2-0.
Worcester made another pitching change in the sixth, turning to Wyatt Olds, who struck out two to hold the line. But the offense continued to stall, going down in order in the top of the seventh.
The IronPigs added to their cushion in the bottom of the seventh with a two-out RBI double by Buddy Kennedy, extending the lead to 3-0. Worcester avoided a shutout in the eighth when Seby Zavala launched a two-out solo homer to left field, making it 3-1.
Lehigh Valley answered right back in the bottom half. After Castro was hit by a pitch, Gabriel Rincones Jr. came around to score, restoring the three-run lead at 4-1. The WooSox were unable to mount a comeback in the ninth, sealing the IronPigs’ win to even the series.
Painter picked up the win for Lehigh Valley, tossing five strong innings with just one hit, two walks, and six strikeouts, ending his outing with a 4.35 ERA.
