Late Rally Gives Norfolk a 9-5 Victory Over Worcester
WORCESTER, MA — Despite rallying to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth, the Worcester Red Sox (23-27) could not contain the Norfolk Tides (27-23), as the Orioles Triple-A affiliate scored four times in the ninth inning to come away with a 9-5 victory over the WooSox on
WORCESTER, MA — Despite rallying to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth, the Worcester Red Sox (23-27) could not contain the Norfolk Tides (27-23), as the Orioles Triple-A affiliate scored four times in the ninth inning to come away with a 9-5 victory over the WooSox on Saturday afternoon at Polar Park.
The WooSox scored the game’s first runs when Nick Sogard (1-for-4, 2R-HR, BB) cracked a two-run homer in the first inning off Cade Povich, the Orioles no. 2 pitching prospect (according to MLB Pipeline). The homer was Sogard’s seventh of the season. Sogard hit seven homers in 112 games last season. Sogard is now hitting .314 with a 1.045 OPS in May.
Worcester added another run in the second when Niko Kavadas (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI) belted a solo shot to straight-away center field. It was Kavadas’ team-leading 10th homer.
Norfolk got on the board in the fourth thanks to RBIs from Billy Cook and Daniel Johnson.
The Tides tied the game in the fifth on a run-scoring single from Hudson Haskin.
They took the lead in the sixth inning when Daniel Johnson plated Heston Kjerstad with a single to right.
In the top of the eighth, Johnson drove in his third run of the day on his fourth hit of the game to give Norfolk a 5-3 lead.
But the WooSox rallied in the home half of the eighth off former Worcester closer Kaleb Ort. After singles from Bobby Dalbec (2-for-5, 2B, R) and Jamie Westbrook (1-for-4, R, BB) to begin the frame, Kavadas laced a single to left to pull the WooSox to within a run. After two strikeouts, Norfolk turned to Luis Gonzalez, who allowed a game-tying single to Eddy Alvarez.
In his first game since he was acquired from the Seattle Mariners earlier in the week, Norfolk catcher Blake Hunt hit a lead-off homer in the ninth to put the Tides back in front. They went on to score three more runs in the inning.
The WooSox wrap up their 12-game homestand tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. against the Norfolk Tides, affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. On the mound, Josh Winckowski (0-1, 2.84) faces Justin Armbruester (1-3, 9.35). Television coverage is on NESN+, while radio coverage begins at 12:45 p.m. on 98.9 Nash Icon and the WooSox Radio Network.