Season-High Crowd at Polar Park Watches Worcester Fall to Buffalo, 6-2
Worcester, MA – The Buffalo Bisons evened their 6-game series with the Worcester Red Sox at two victories apiece following their 6-2 victory on Friday night in front of a season-high crowd of 9,240 at Polar Park. The WooSox are now 6-4 on their season-long 12-game homestand at Polar Park
Worcester, MA – The Buffalo Bisons evened their 6-game series with the Worcester Red Sox at two victories apiece following their 6-2 victory on Friday night in front of a season-high crowd of 9,240 at Polar Park. The WooSox are now 6-4 on their season-long 12-game homestand at Polar Park that continues vs. Buffalo on Saturday at 4:05 pm and concludes on Sunday at 1:05 pm.
Despite the loss, the WooSox remain a ½-game behind Indianapolis for the best 2nd half record in the International League and the one playoff spot that comes with that best record. Worcester has 32 games remaining (14 at home and 18 on the road).
For the 53rd time in their 113 games (47%), the WooSox scored in the 1st-inning - by far their most productive inning all year). CF Braiden Ward led off with a single, stole 2nd base and scored on a sac fly to center by 1B Romy Gonzalez.
Buffalo tied the game with a run in the 2nd and took the lead in the 3rd on a 2-run HR by Yohendrick Pinango off WooSox starter Gage Ziehl. Ziehl, who fired 5.2 scoreless innings with 8 strikeouts in his WooSox debut on August 8, was charged with the loss after allowing 6 hits and 3 runs in 5 innings with 5 strikeouts.
Worcester scored their second (and final) run of the game in strange fashion thanks to the speed and alertness of Tsung-Che Cheng. Cheng led the 3rd inning with a walk and advanced to third on Ward’s second single of the game. Ward then swiped his second base of the game – his league-leading 52 SB of the year – to set the Sox up with runners on 2nd & 3rd and no outs.
Nate Eaton was next and he lined what looked like it would be a 2-run single, but Buffalo second baseman Davis Schneider made a leaping grab. Ward was caught off second but when Schneider flipped to shortstop Josh Kasevich to double up Ward, Cheng broke for the plate and slid home safely giving Eaton credit for an RBI sacrifice line out and cutting the deficit to 3-2.
Buffalo reliever Pat Gallagher, a Leominster, MA native, was outstanding holding the WooSox scoreless for 4-innings on just 1 hit and 1 walk with 6 strikeouts to earn the victory and even his record at 4-4.
Meanwhile, the Bisons increased their lead with a run in the 6th, another in the 7th on a long solo HR from 3B Sean Keys who crushed his 10th of the year over the Worcester Wall in right, and one more in the 8th to make the final, 6-2.
Kristian Campbell continued his superb play of late extending his hitting streak to 6 games by smoking a double to left (107 MPH off the bat) along with a walk and two hard line outs to finish 1-for-3. Campbell, who also made a tremendous throw from the rightfield corner to nail a runner at second base trying for a double, is now batting .387 in his last 23 games since July 8.
Game 5 of the series is tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon at 4:05 pm at Polar Park. RHP Blake Wehunt (1-1, 3.60) makes his fifth start for the WooSox since his July 21 promotion from Portland. RHP CJ Van Eyk (5-3, 3.63) gets the nod for the Bisons. The game will be televised on NESN and on radio on NASH 98.9 FM.