Westbrook & Alvarez Deliver Doubles in Three-Run Seventh, WooSox Beat SWB

WORCESTER, M.A. — For the second straight night, the Worcester Red Sox (21-22) came back to beat the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (28-14), a 9-8 win on Friday at Polar Park.

Down 8-6 in the bottom of the seventh inning, the WooSox put two on with two out for Jamie Westbrook. For the second straight night, Westbrook delivered a big swing in a comeback effort, smashing a game-tying two-run double to left off Phil Bickford. Eddy Alvarez was next, and he mashed a double off the top of the wall in center, plating Westbrook to give Worcester a 9-8 lead.

The swing finished off the WooSox’ second comeback effort of the night, surmounting deficits of four runs after three and two runs in the seventh.

Jorge Benitez tossed a runless eighth, and after an error put the leadoff man on second in the ninth, Lucas Luetge retired the heart of SWB’s lineup to cinch the victory. With the win, Worcester guarantees a split with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and can be the first team to take a series from the Yankees’ affiliate with a win on Saturday or Sunday.

In the first, Bobby Dalbec opened the scoring with his fifth home run in 14 Triple-A games, a two-run shot off RailRiders’ starter Tanner Tully.

Worcester starter Richard Fitts allowed a Triple-A career-high six runs over three innings, giving up five in the second. SWB rallied on a sac-fly, an RBI single and groundout, and doubles by Luis Torrens and Kevin Smith. They added one more in the third on Jeter Downs’ second sac-fly of the night.

On Thursday, the two teams played a game that featured five ties and four lead changes, and one night later, they combined for three ties and two more lead changes.

Worcester got two in the fourth thanks to a two-run single from Alvarez (who ultimately had three RBI), then added two more in fifth on a run-scoring error and a game-tying seven-pitch RBI walk from Niko Kavadas.

Kavadas finished the night with three walks and now has 26 RBI in 34 games this season.

Justin Hagenman worked three scoreless innings, but ran in to trouble in his fourth inning of relief. SWB plated runs in the seventh on a T.J. Rumfield RBI single and a soft bloop single from Jose Rojas off Hagenman’s replacement, Jorge Benitez.

That single made it 8-6, but Westbrook and Alvarez’ doubles put the home team back on top 9-8.

Luetge earned his second save of the season and has posted scoreless outings in nine of his last 10 games.

The WooSox continue the six-game series on Saturday at 4:05 p.m. against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, affiliate of the New York Yankees. On the mound, Grant Gambrell (1-5, 4.50) faces Cody Poteet (3-0, 3.68). Television coverage is on NESN+, while radio coverage begins at 3:45 p.m. on 98.9 Nash Icon and the WooSox Radio Network.