WooSox Mount Late Comeback, Fall in 6-5 Extras Against Syracuse

WORCESTER, M.A. — The Worcester Red Sox (47-44) came back from three runs down to force extra innings, but the Syracuse Mets (41-50) rallied in the tenth to give the road team a 6-5 win on Friday night at Polar Park.

It was a 4-4 game entering the tenth inning, and Syracuse came to bat against Zack Kelly with an automatic runner on second. Kelly, who tossed a runless ninth, struck out the first batter he saw, then walked the second. Khalil Lee stepped up next, and he grounded a ball to short—the WooSox nearly turned a double play, but Grant Williams’ throw from second sailed into the dugout, allowing the go-ahead run to score. Pinch-hitting Mark Vientos followed, and he lined a single to left, scoring Lee to give the road team a 6-4 lead.

Worcester plated one in their half of the tenth, a passed ball that allowed Devlin Granberg to sprint home and also put the tying run in scoring position. Reliever Bryce Montes de Oca walked Johan Mieses and hit Jaylin Davis, but got a groundout to seal a Syracuse win. The loss drops the WooSox to 3-4 in extra inning affairs.

Early in the day, Syracuse jumped on top in the second inning on a Gosuke Katoh solo home run, a ball that easily cleared the Worcester Wall in right.

The 1-0 Mets lead held until the bottom of the fourth inning, when Christin Stewart came to the plate with two on and two outs. Stewart worked a 1-2 count, then smacked a single to left, plating Triston Casas to tie the game at one. The swing gave the 28-year-old his 46th RBI of the season and eighth in the month of July.

The Mets rallied for three in the sixth against WooSox starter Jay Groome, starting with a go-ahead RBI double by Francisco Alvarez. One batter later, Nick Plummer delivered a two-run single to extend the Syracuse lead to 4-1.

Groome, pitching in his Polar Park debut, exited after five with the following line: 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K.

Right-hander Matt Barnes made a rehab assignment for Worcester in the seventh, allowing two hits and walking one while recording two outs. One hit was a bloop single to right, and one was a fly ball to center lost in the sky by the outfielder. Barnes got a swinging strikeout on a curveball and a strikeout looking on a 94 mile-per-hour fastball to close the outing, tying his hardest of the night.

Frank German entered with the bases loaded and two out, following Barnes, and got a big strike out to maintain the three run deficit.

In the bottom of the inning, Worcester's offense held up its end, a one out rally that began with hit-by-pitch and a Jaylin Davis single. After a walk, Nick Sogard ripped an RBI single to right to make it 4-2. Grant Williams got it to a 4-3 ballgame on a run-scoring groundout.

It was a one run game in the bottom of the eighth, and Wong led the frame off with a single. After a strikeout, Ronaldo Hernandez crushed a ball off the wall in right center, allowing Wong to scamper home from first with the game-tying run.

The second run in the tenth for Syracuse proved to be the difference, dropping Worcester’s record against the Mets to 4-9 on the season.

Casas started at first base for WooSox, returning to the lineup for the first time since May 17 (high ankle sprain). Offensively, the 22-year-old went 0-for-5 with a run scored.

The WooSox continue the three-game series Saturday at 4:05 p.m. against the Syracuse Mets. On the mound, Brian Keller (2-3, 3.71) faces Connor Grey (4-4, 6.06). Radio coverage is live at 3:45 p.m. on 98.9 Nash Icon and the WooSox Radio Network, while television coverage is on NESN+.