Three Homers Push SWB Past WooSox at Polar Park

WORCESTER, M.A. — The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (41-21) grabbed their fourth win in five games over the Worcester Red Sox (35-28), a 7-2 final on Friday night at Polar Park.

The WooSox and RailRiders were tied at two entering the sixth, and after an out, SWB began to rally. Andrew Velazqueaz bunted a ball up the third base line, and a throwing error by Stephen Gonsalves allowed him to reach. Gonsalves walked the next batter, Kyle Holder, putting two on for Matt Pita. In his Triple-A debut, Pita blasted a home run to left—the ball whistled over the outstretched glove of Franchy Cordero and landed at the base of the berm, a go-ahead three-run homer to put Scranton/Wilkes-Barre up 5-2.

Worcester was held scoreless over its final four offensive innings, sealing a series victory for the RailRiders.

In the bottom of the first, the WooSox took the first lead for the third time in the series. Yairo Muñoz extended his hit streak to 11 games with a single, putting runners on first and second. Cordero was next, and he lined a sharp single to center to put Worcester on top 1-0.

SWB scored the next two runs, tying the game on a homer in the second from Donny Sands, also in his Triple-A debut. An inning later, Estevan Florial began his two-homer day with a solo shot over the Worcester Wall to give the RailRiders a 2-1 lead.

The WooSox answered back in the bottom of the third, starting the frame with a Cordero double to right. After a hit-by-pitch and a pair of outs, Connor Wong delivered a single that tied the game at two. Wong's hit gave him his eighth RBI of the season and his first since returning from his first Major League stint in Boston.

Pita’s three-run blast in the sixth made it 5-2, a seventh inning sac-fly extended the lead to 6-2 and Florial crushed his second long ball in the eighth, the final run in the 7-2 SWB victory.

The WooSox continue the series Saturday at 4:05 p.m. at Polar Park versus the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Television coverage is on NESN, while radio coverage starts live at 3:45 p.m. on 98.9 Nash Icon and the WooSox Radio Network. Luis Gil (2-0, 5.32) is the scheduled starter for RailRiders.