WooSox Blast Four Home Runs to Power Past Bisons

WORCESTER, M.A. — The Worcester Red Sox (10-7) offense came alive on Saturday afternoon in a 7-4 victory over the Buffalo Bisons (11-6). Jarren Duran hit his sixth and seventh home-runs of the season as a part of a four-homer effort. Starter Raynel Espinal strung together five commanding innings, securing his second win of the season.

Espinal found his groove after the opening frame and never looked back. After one hit and one run in the first, he allowed just one hit over four scoreless frames, striking out nine and walking just one. Bobby Poyner and Kevin McCarthy added a relief inning each, while Matt Hall closed it out over the final two innings.

The Bisons drew first blood in the first inning on a sacrifice fly, but their one-run advantage would be short-lived. The home offense wasted no time in updating the scoreboard, exploding for four hits and three runs in the bottom of the first. The WooSox would go on to lead the rest of the contest.

It began with a leadoff double from Jarren Duran, who reached third on a wild pitch. Christian Arroyo, on a rehab assignment from Boston and playing second base today, knocked a sacrifice fly to even the game at one. Jeter Downs, at shortstop today, put Worcester up with his third home-run of the season, and his second in as many at-bats going back to last night. On the very next pitch, Yairo Munoz followed suit with his own solo shot, his first of the season.

Taking a 3-1 lead into the second, the WooSox weren’t finished. Chris Hermann reached on a leadoff walk, and Jett Bandy and Jarren Duran followed up with consecutive singles. After another Christian Arroyo sacrifice, the lead grew to 5-1.

An inning later, Duran, with a single and a double to his credit already, obliterated a ball 480 feet over the Worcester Wall to put the Sox up 6-1. Duran’s sixth dinger also marked the longest home-run in Polar Park’s brief history, so far.

Playing right field for the third time this season, Duran stepped up in the sixth, needing just a triple to complete the cycle. He blasted his second homer of the evening instead, this time 475 feet straight out of Polar Park. Duran’s seventh home-run of the season brings him into a tie for first place in Triple-A East. He added his fifth hit of the night in the eighth, capping off a perfect 5-5 day at the plate which included two home-runs, three RBI, and a double.

The WooSox will conclude the six-game series at Polar Park on Sunday afternoon against the Buffalo Bisons at 1:05 p.m., with television coverage live on NESN+. Radio coverage starts live at 12:45 p.m. on 100 FM The Pike and the WooSox Radio Network. Buffalo’s T.J. Zeuch will throw against Worcester’s Daniel Gossett (1-1, 6.43 ERA).