Two in Ninth Gives WooSox Comeback Win, Fourth in a Row

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Worcester Red Sox (21-13) won their fourth in a row and eighth straight against the Syracuse Mets (11-23) with a 5-3 comeback win on Friday night.

Tied at three entering the ninth, the WooSox put the go-ahead run in scoring position on a one-out double from Yairo Muñoz. One pitch after Muñoz dove in to second, Jack Lopez cracked an RBI single to right, plating the eventual game-winning run. Lopez would then steal second and score on a dropped fly ball with two outs, part of a two-run ninth in Worcester’s fourth straight win to clinch the series at NBT Bank Stadium.

A good lookin' go-ahead knock from Jack Lopez pic.twitter.com/tq9XXDhiJx

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

After the WooSox grabbed the early lead in each of the first three games, Syracuse jumped on top in the opening inning. With one out, Orlando Calixte and Khalil Lee recorded back-to-back singles against Worcester opener Zac Grotz. Making his Red Sox organizational debut, Grotz got a popout for the second out, but Cheslor Cuthbert and Drew Jackson gave the Mets a 2-0 lead on consecutive RBI singles.

Worcester got one back in the fourth on a Michael Chavis homer, a solo shot that easily cleared the left field wall. The 25-year-old has two homers in his last three games after cracking one with Boston on May 8.

The game stayed tight thanks to a strong pitching performance from Stephen Gonsalves. The WooSox left-hander followed Grotz, entering in the second inning, and tossed five scoreless innings with six strikeouts. Gonsalves has not allowed a run over his last two outings, a total of 10 innings that have all come after an opener.

Entering the eighth down 2-1, Marcus Wilson got to second as game-tying run with a two-out double—a fly ball that bounced off the top of the centerfield wall before popping back in to play. Franchy Cordero followed the hit with a walk, bringing Chavis to the plate with two on. Chavis ripped the first pitch up the left centerfield gap for a two-run double, giving Worcester a 3-2 lead.

The Mets tied it in the home half of the eighth against reliever Marcus Walden, who allowed a one-out single from Wilfredo Tovar and a Cesar Puello double. In a 3-1 count, Drew Ferguson hit a weak chopper up the first base line—so slowly hit, it allowed Tovar to scamper home and made it 3-3. At that point, in a tie game, Syracuse had 11 hits to Worcester's four.

The WooSox got two in the ninth, and Kaleb Ort closed out the victory with seventh save of the season, second-best in Triple-A East. The victory marks the first time in franchise history the team has been eight games above .500.

The WooSox continue the six-game road series Saturday against the Syracuse Mets at 6:35 p.m. Radio coverage starts live at 6:15 p.m. on 98.9 Nash Icon and the WooSox Radio Network. Worcester’s Kyle Hart (1-3, 6.68) attempts to help the team match its longest win streak of the season against Jesús Reyes (0-4, 5.49).