WORCESTER – On a momentous PawSox Heritage Day at Polar Park, the Worcester Red Sox (35-40) faced a tough loss in the series and first-half finale to the Columbus Clippers (32-42), with a final score of 9-7, due to a four-run ninth inning.
Before Sunday’s matinee, Bobby Dalbec was added to the WooSox roster after Wilyer Abreu was activated from the Injured List. Entering the series finale with the Clippers, Dalbec is hitting .245/.330/.529 with 8 home runs and 29 RBIs in 26 games in two stints with Worcester this season.
After a quiet first inning, the WooSox made their mark in the second. Bobby Dalbec’s free pass set the stage, followed by Nathan Hickey’s scorching double to left, which put the WooSox in a promising position with runners on second and third and one out. Matthew Lugo’s RBI groundout and Niko Kavadas’ RBI single sealed the deal, putting Worcester in the lead, 2-0.
In the fourth inning, Columbus got one back on Jhonkensy Noel’s league-leading 18th home run––a 431-foot shot off the batter’s eye. For the Clippers first baseman, it was his eighth hit and third long ball of the series.
To begin the fifth, Naoyuki Uwasawa relieved Justin Hagenman on the mound––who started the game instead of Grant Gambrell (back stiffness). After allowing four runs in four innings in his previous start on Tuesday, Hagenman had a nice bounce-back outing, finishing with a line of 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.
After a scoreless top of the fifth, the WooSox added an insurance run in the bottom half of the frame. With one out, Chase Meidroth lined a base hit to center –– extending his on-base streak to 31 games –– and later scored on Jamie Westbrook’s RBI fielder’s choice.
The WooSox added another in the sixth inning on Matthew Lugo’s third Triple-A home run – a 412-foot blast to give Worcester a 4-1 lead.
In the following inning, the Clippers sent nine men to the plate, scoring three times to tie up the ballgame. After the first three reached on Uwasawa, Jorge Benitez entered on the mound and allowed two inherited runners to score.
Heading into the seventh inning stretch, the WooSox and Clippers were tied at four.
To begin the bottom of the seventh, Meidroth lined his second hit of the day to the right to put the leadoff man on for the WooSox. After Clippers reliever Tanner Burns retired the next two, Westbrook drilled his seventh home run of the year – a go-ahead two-run shot to left to put the WooSox up 7-5.
In the eighth, Jose Tena cut the WooSox lead to one after lining an RBI single to center off reliever Sal Romano, who entered for Benitez with one out and two men aboard.
But Worcester responded at the bottom of the inning following an RBI single from Meidroth–his third hit of the day and sixth three-hit game of the year.
Romano remained in the game for Worcester to close the game and series, but Columbus did not go down quietly. The Clippers scored four runs on five hits in the ninth inning to take a two-run lead. Down to their last three outs, the WooSox came up empty, dropping the first-half finale, 9-7.
The WooSox will begin the second half of their 2024 season at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for a six-game set beginning at 6:35 p.m. on Tuesday.
The RailRiders scheduled starter has yet to be announced, but Josh Winckowski (3-2, 2.87 ERA) will open the series on the mound for Worcester.
