The Worcester Red Sox had to battle once again on Friday night.
Having already dealt with inclement weather during their series against Durham, the stage was set for the WooSox to play their first doubleheader in May. But with the later game again postponed, Friday’s highlights came in the afternoon for Game One.
The Bulls capitalized on the shaky start from Worcester’s Robert Stock, as they jumped out to an early 4-1 lead on four hits through two innings. Jake Mangum was the primary damage dealer, with a run scored and an RBI single in the second.
Complete game statistics can be found here.
Offensively, the WooSox had no traffic on the bases. Jhostynxon Garcia’s second homer run, a solo shot, was the only bright spot of the first inning.
During the third, momentum started to shift. Stock made quick work of Durham in the inning’s top end, which fed energy to the Worcester attack. Following a walk to Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer slapped a cutter by Ian Seymour beyond the fence, bringing the WooSox to within one.
With mostly uneventful middle innings, Chad Tracy’s squad still found themselves trailing with one more opportunity to shift the tide.
Nick Burdi relieved Zack Kelly in the top of the seventh, ensuring that the game stayed within one score. We appeared to be heading towards a quick ending, as Durham’s Cole Wilcox recorded two quick outs to start the bottom.
But out of nowhere, as they were hanging on by a thread, Worcester suddenly came alive in the seventh inning.
Garcia stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and delivered an RBI single on the eighth pitch of the at-bat to knot the game up at four. Then, Vaughn Grissom delivered the devastating blow as he drove home Mayer to walk the game off.
The WooSox will look to grab the series lead in Saturday’s doubleheader, with the first pitch at 4:05 pm.
