WooSox Drop Another One-Run Game, Lose 4-3 to Rochester
WORCESTER, MA –– Niko Kavadas and Matthew Lugo both homered, but the Worcester Red Sox (8-8)/(43-48) lost 4-3 to the Rochester Red Wings (13-4)/(51-39) in the fifth game of their six-game set on Saturday afternoon at Polar Park. Worcester struck first in the bottom of the second inning after Niko
WORCESTER, MA –– Niko Kavadas and Matthew Lugo both homered, but the Worcester Red Sox (8-8)/(43-48) lost 4-3 to the Rochester Red Wings (13-4)/(51-39) in the fifth game of their six-game set on Saturday afternoon at Polar Park.
Worcester struck first in the bottom of the second inning after Niko Kavadas led off the frame with his 17th double of the season and was followed by Matthew Lugo's 410-foot two-run blast to the berm in left field. For Lugo, it was his fifth home run with the WooSox and first since homering in back-to-back games on June 26 and 27.
Matthew Lugo. Crushed. pic.twitter.com/vPTNebR3e2
— Worcester Red Sox (@WooSox) July 13, 2024
Chase Shugart started Worcester’s bullpen game on Saturday afternoon, striking out five in three shutout innings before being relieved with two on and one out in the fourth. Joely Rodriguez entered for the right-hander and was greeted by Jackson Cluff’s RBI double to cut the WooSox lead to one. With two Red Wings in scoring position, Erick Mejia lined a two-run single to right to put Rochester on top, 3-2.
Mejia’s single would close the book on Shugart, who ended the day with a final line of 3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K as the WooSox opener on Saturday.
To begin the sixth inning, Alex Speas relieved Rodriguez and picked up two strikeouts in a scoreless frame. For the Georgia native, it was just his second appearance with the WooSox after Boston picked him up from the Houston Astros via waiver claim on June 29. Heading into the bottom of the sixth, the WooSox were looking for some offense.
With two outs, Niko Kavadas drilled his second double of the game into the left-center gap to put a runner in scoring position for Lugo. Already with a multi-hit game, the Worcester outfielder looked to pick up his third RBI of the game, but was hit by the first pitch of the at-bat. The next batter, Nathan Hickey, grounded out to end the inning. As the game moved to the seventh, Worcester trailed, 3-2.
The following inning, the WooSox threatened again with two outs, putting two on with Nick Yorke stepping to the plate. The 22-year-old swung at the first pitch, hitting a broken-bat liner to second for the final out of the inning.
Next in line for the WooSox in their bullpen game was Isaiah Campbell, who pitched a perfect seventh inning before Travis Blankenhorn added insurance for Rochester in the eighth. The Red Wings outfielder blasted a 427-foot homer off the batter’s eye in center to give the visitors a two-run advantage.
Coming off a night where he set the WooSox club record for RBIs (7) in a single game, Kavadas carried it over into Saturday. For his third extra-base hit of the afternoon, Kavadas smoked his team-leading 16th long ball over the Worcester Wall in right to cut the Red Wings lead to one in the eighth inning.
Niko smokes one over the Worcester Wall to put us within one! pic.twitter.com/KtgOhocqo4
— Worcester Red Sox (@WooSox) July 13, 2024
In the ninth, the WooSox bats went down quietly as they dropped the fifth game of their six-game set with Rochester, 4-3. Brad Lord (W, 2-0) earned the victory for the Red Wings while Joely Rodriguez (L, 0-1) was handed his first loss of the season. With the defeat, the WooSox move to 4-13 in one-run affairs this season, ranking dead last in the International League.
Worcester will wrap-up their six-game series––and nine-game homestand––against Rochester at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday afternoon at Polar Park. Brad Keller (1-1, 9.00) will get the start for the WooSox opposite D.J. Herz (3-2, 3.75) for the Red Wings. The game will be broadcasted live on NESN+ and radio coverage begins at 12:45 p.m., on 98.9 Nash Icon and the WooSox Radio Network.