Rivera Walks Off Game Two In Doubleheader Split Versus IronPigs

WORCESTER, M.A. — A walkoff single from Jeremy Rivera gave the Worcester Red Sox (63-49) a game two win over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (50-61) on Saturday, part of a doubleheader split between the two teams.

Rivera came to the plate in the bottom of the seventh of a seven-inning game with two outs and the bases loaded. Working against IronPigs’ reliever Zack McCallister, Rivera grounded an 0-2 pitch through the hole on the left side, scoring Franchy Cordero, the game-winning run in a 5-4 WooSox walkoff victory.

Tie ballgame, courtesy of Jeremy Rivera 💪 pic.twitter.com/l0aLmIx0Yl

— Worcester Red Sox (@WooSox) September 11, 2021

The day’s second affair was a back-and-forth battle—the lead changed hands twice in the first four innings, adding up to a 2-1 Lehigh Valley lead. Worcester’s run came on a Josh Ockimey single in the first, while the IronPigs’ scored on a solo shot from T.J. Rivera and a Darick Hall RBI single.

Jeremy Rivera came to the plate in the fifth and blasted a game-tying solo homer over the right-centerfield wall, his first Triple-A long ball.

The winning hit. 👌 pic.twitter.com/1ltZ8xpeoG

— Worcester Red Sox (@WooSox) September 12, 2021

Later in the inning, Cordero delivered an RBI single to put the home team on top. Tate Matheny added an RBI double in the sixth to extend the lead to 4-2, part of a three-hit doubleheader for Matheny.

But with Lehigh Valley down to its final three outs, Arquimedes Gamboa hit a two-run home run to tie the game against Austin Brice and make it 4-4, before Rivera walked it off in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Hours earlier, in game one, the IronPigs scored three in the first, three in the third, and two in the fifth on the way to an 11-hit effort in an 8-6 victory. Their runs came on a Darick Hall two-run double in the first, a pair of C.J. Chatham home runs, a T.J. Rivera sac-fly and a wild pitch.

The WooSox mounted a late comeback, plating one in the third on a Cordero solo shot (his third long ball of the week), a pair of homers from Joey Meneses and Ockimey and a Meneses two-run double in the sixth. But Jeff Singer tossed a 1-2-3 seventh to seal the win in the doubleheader split.

Singer got the win in game one, while Kyle Hart took the loss, allowing six runs over four innings. Brice earned the victory in game two, while Damon Jones took the loss.

The WooSox conclude the six-game series Sunday at 1:05 p.m. against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Polar Park. Television coverage is on NESN+, while radio coverage starts live at 12:45 p.m. on 98.9 Nash Icon and the WooSox Radio Network. Worcester’s Daniel Gossett (6-3, 4.40) is set to face Adonis Medina (3-5, 5.05).