Late Rochester Comeback Hands WooSox 3-2 Loss

WORCESTER, M.A. — The Rochester Red Wings (20-12) came through with a ninth inning rally to beat the Worcester Red Sox (15-17) on Wednesday afternoon, a 3-2 win for the road team at Polar Park.

The WooSox led 2-0 in the ninth with two outs and a runner on first when Cole Freeman stepped to the plate. Working against Kaleb Ort, Freeman smacked a single to left that extended the game, putting two on for the top of the lineup. Andrew Stevenson was next, and he cracked a game-tying, two-run double down the right field line, giving Rochester its first—and biggest—runs of the day. Stevenson got to third on a throw home, and two pitches later, Luis Garcia singled him home to make it 3-2 Red Wings.

All three runs and hits came with two outs, and Worcester was held scoreless in the bottom of the ninth by former PawSox Jordan Weems, sealing the team’s sixth straight loss.

Prior to Ort's inning, Worcester pitching put together a sterling first eight innings. Josh Winckowski got the start, and in a planned two-inning outing, did not allow a run. The right-hander reached 96 miles-per-hour with his fastball and struck out two.

Behind him, Taylor Cole, Geoff Hartlieb and Zack Kelly all delivered two scoreless innings, respectively. The trio combined for six strikeouts in six innings, capped off by a Kelly strikeout that left the bases loaded in the eighth.

Offensively, the WooSox got their runs in the fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth, Rob Refsnyder led off with a double, and one batter later, was singled home by Ryan Fitzgerald. Triston Casas came through with a sac-fly in the sixth to make it 2-0, a score that held until the top of the ninth.

The WooSox continue the two-week homestand on Thursday night at 6:45 p.m. against the Rochester Red Wings. On the mound, Thomas Pannone faces Logan Verrett. Television coverage is on NESN+, while radio coverage is live at 6:25 p.m. on 98.9 Nash Icon and the WooSox Radio Network.