WooSox Split Sunday Doubleheader with Mets

SYRACUSE, NY – The Worcester Red Sox (5-9) split a doubleheader with the Syracuse Mets (8-6) on Sunday afternoon at NBT Bank Stadium, dropping Game 1, 10-5, before taking home an 8-4 win in Game 2.

Game 1: 10-5 Syracuse

The WooSox built a 5-0 lead in the opener, but could not hang on as the Mets erupted for 10 runs on 13 hits over their final four innings.

In the top of the second, Nick Sogard lined a lead-off double down the left-field line, and Jamie Westbrook ripped a single to left to plate Sogard and give the WooSox a 1-0 lead. Westbrook was thrown out at second base trying to stretch the base hit into a double. With the bases empty, Niko Kavadas lifted a solo homer over the left-field fence to make it a 2-0 game. Eddy Alvarez followed with a double, and Chase Meidroth singled him in.

Rob Refsnyder, playing the third game of his rehab assignment, led off the third with a walk. After a Nathan Hickey flyout, Sogard drew ball four. Then, Mark Contreras doubled in Refsnyder to extend Worcester’s lead to 4-0. Jamie Westbrook hit a sacrifice fly to give the WooSox a 5-0 lead.

In three games this week, Refsnyder went 3-for-9 with a double and a walk. Vaughn Grissom was the designated hitter and hit second, as he played the second game of his rehab. Grissom went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

Brian Van Belle faced the minimum through seven batters, but Luke Ritter and Tomas Nido hit back-to-back home runs to put Syracuse on the board in the bottom of the third.

Trace Thompson took over from there, hitting a two-run homer off Van Belle in the fourth and off A.J. Politi (L, 0-1) in the fifth to put the Mets in front.

Ben Gamel clubbed a two-run shot in the sixth inning to extend Syracuse’s lead to 10-5.

Game 2: 8-4 Worcester

Worcester’s offense went to work early once again in Game 2, building an 8-0 lead through three innings, thanks in part to eight walks from Mets pitching. Starter Luis Moreno (L, 0-1) served up two walks and a wild pitch to set up Jamie Westbrook for a first inning sacrifice fly. Three straight singles in the second made it 2-0, with an RBI base knock from Nick Sogard.

The WooSox offense got their steps in during a six-run third inning. Moreno and Shintaro Fujinami combined to walk six batters – including bases-loaded free passes to both Corey Rosier and Chase Meidroth. Tyler McDonough and Nathan Hickey delivered two-run singles to break the game open, 8-0.

Jason Alexander held the Mets hitless through his first three innings, but a two-run homer from Rylan Bannon in the fourth and a sac fly from Ben Gamel in the fifth skewed an otherwise solid performance (4.2 IP, 3 R, 3 H, 4 BB, 2 K).

Jorge Benitez (W, 1-0) handled the final seven outs of the game, allowing nothing aside from a walk to Ben Gamel and a solo home run by Luke Ritter.

Worcester has now scored the game’s first run in four consecutive games (1-3).

The win ended a four-game losing streak for the WooSox, and builds momentum into next week’s six-game homestand against the defending second-half champion Durham Bulls at Polar Park.