After overcoming an early four-run deficit themselves, the WooSox bullpen failed to contain the Rochester Red Wings, giving up the lead and eventually the contest 14-9 Thursday night.
Worcester actually struck first in Rochester, scoring twice in the top of the second on a pair of sacrifice flies. The lead though was not their’s for long as Robert Stock allowed a run on a wild pitch and then on back-to-back singles to make the game 3-2 Red Wings.
A bases clearing double from José Tena then made Worcester’s deficit 6-2, and after getting out of the frame Stock was pulled from the contest.
In relief, José De León was initially effective for the WooSox, blanking the home squad in the bottom of the third. In the next frame, Trayce Thompson and Nathan Hickey each drove in a run with a double.
After another shutout inning from De León, the WooSox struck again in the top of the sixth, adding three runs on a Kristian Campbell home run, his first at AAA this year.
Extending his scoreless stretch to three innings, De León finally found trouble in the bottom of the sixth. Working with a 7-6 lead, De León loaded the bases.
From there, Darren Baker laid down a bunt that scored two runners after a throwing error from Nick Sogard at third. Yohandy Morales then tacked on another run with an RBI double to make the game 9-7 Rochester.
In the seventh inning, the Red Wings put the game away for good as Jackson Cluff hit a two-run homer against Bryan Mata. Before getting out of the frame, Mata also balked, allowing a run to score and putting the deficit at five.
The WooSox grabbed a pair back in the eighth as Blaze Jordan and Trayce Thompson scored on wild pitches but it wasn’t enough. The Red Wings added once more to their lead in the bottom of the frame and sealed the contest 14-9 in the top of the ninth.
It was the second game in a row the WooSox fell after taking the series opener on Tuesday.
