Syracuse Edges Worcester 4-2 Behind Late Surge

WORCESTER, M.A. — A run in the eighth and one more in the ninth pushed the Syracuse Mets (2-6) past the Worcester Red Sox (3-5) on Wednesday night, a 3-2 final at Polar Park.

The WooSox jumped out to an early lead on Syracuse starter Franklyn Kilome. In the second, Michael Gettys lined a ball to the left centerfield gap and cracked a smile as he stood on second with his first double of the season. Gettys would be smiling in the dugout moments later, after Jack Lopez singled him home to make it 1-0 Worcester.

On Tuesday, balls were sailing out of Polar Park, and to start the third, the Mets continued that trend. Quinn Brodey took a 1-1 pitch the other way over the Worcester Wall, a two-run shot off WooSox pitcher Daniel Gossett to put Syracuse on top. Gossett finished the day strong, tallying five innings of two-run ball to go along with eight strikeouts.

Worcester threatened in the sixth, putting two on to start the inning. Two batters later, Jeter Downs came up feet from a go-ahead three run home run—instead, the ball settled in to Syracuse left fielder Drew Ferguson's glove to keep the lead at 2-1.

But the WooSox finally broke through in the seventh against Syracuse reliever Oscar De La Cruz. Jack Lopez walked and reached second on a Josh Ockimey single. Following a flyout, Danny Santana ripped a base hit through the right side to bring home Lopez. Santana’s hit marked his first in Worcester as he works his way back from a foot injury.

In the eighth, Syracuse’s Johneshwy Fargas led off by lifting a ball towards the high wall in right center—it went off the glove of Worcester centerfielder Jarren Duran for a double. A flyout brought Fargas to third, and he scored the eventual game-winning run on a sacrifice fly from Brandon Drury. The Mets added one more in the top of the ninth on a two-out RBI single from Ferguson, and Syracuse snapped a six-game losing streak with a 4-2 win.

The WooSox continue their inaugural six-game homestand at Polar Park on Thursday against the Syracuse Mets at 6:35 p.m, with television coverage beginning at 6:30 on NESN+. Radio coverage starts at 6:15 on 98.9 Nash Icon and the WooSox Radio Network. Syracuse's Thomas Szapucki (0-0, 0.00) faces Worcester's Stephen Gonsalves (1-0, 1.69), who led the WooSox to their first win in franchise history last Friday with 5.1 innings of one-run ball against Buffalo.