WooSox Housed at Polar Park

Worcester, MA – The Worcester Red Sox saw their 4-game winning streak come to an end on Friday night when they were defeated by the Rochester Red Wings, 10-4 in front of Polar Park’s 10^th sellout crowd of the season (7,620).

Rochester third baseman Brady House hit for the cycle as the former 1^st round draft pick of the Washington Nationals out of high school in Georgia (2021) tripled in the 1^st-inning, doubled in the 3^rd, homered in the 5^th, and then singled off the Worcester Wall in rightfield leading off the 9^th inning. Former WooSox and current Red Sox infielder Tsung-Che Cheng had the first cycle in WooSox history this past April 10^th vs. Columbus at Polar Park.

The WooSox had won the first three games of the series and still lead the 6-game set, 3 games to 1 with two games remaining over the weekend.

Worcester took advantage of some early wildness by Rochester starter Luis Perales to score first in the bottom of the 1^st. Perales, the former WooSox traded to Washington in the off-season for current Red Sox standout Jake Bennett, walked the first three batters he faced including lead-off man Braiden Ward. Ward would steal 2^nd base (his league-leading 40^th SB of the year) and move to 3^rd base on a throwing error by the catcher, before eventually scoring on a wild pitch.

The Red Wings answered immediately with 2 runs in the 2^nd inning keyed by doubles from Trey Lipscomb and Riley Adams and added to their lead in the 3^rd on back-to-back doubles by Yohandy Morales and House.

Mickey Gasper (walk) and Allan Castro executed a double steal with Gasper coming home on the throw down to 2^nd base to pull the WooSox to within 3-2 after 3-innings.

House, 23, who made Washington’s Opening Day roster and hit .227 with 7 HR & 25 RBI in 44 games for the Nationals, continued his impressive night with a long solo HR (#6) in the 5^th inning to go along with his triple in the 1^st and double in the 3^rd. His 9^th inning single rattled off the Worcester Wall but House wisely stopped at first base to complete the rare cycle.

Both starters departed after 5-innings. Raymond Burgos (1-5) was the loser giving up 7 hits and 4 runs in his 5-inning outing while Perales, who improved to 3-4 with the win, allowed 4 hits and 2 unearned runs over his 5-inning stint.

Red-hot WooSox 2B Tyler McDonough, owner of an 8-game hitting streak, provided some late excitement for the crowd by drilling a 2-run HR (his 7^th in just 25 games since coming up from Portland on June 4) in the 9^th inning to make the final, 10-4.

Two other notes from the 9^th inning…Ward was hit by a pitch for the 21^st time this season breaking the Boston Red Sox modern day record for most HBP by a Triple-A player held by David Eckstein of the Pawtucket Red Sox in 2000. And WooSox catcher Mickey Gasper walked three times in the game but had his 11-game hitting streak snapped.

Despite the setback, the WooSox have still won 8 of their last 11 games and are now 8-8 in the second half and 44-43 overall on the season.

Game 5 of the 6-game series is Saturday at 4:05 pm at Polar Park. Worcester’s starter is TBD while Rochester will send righty Chandler Champlain (5-3, 4.13) to the mound. The game will be televised live on NESN+ and air on NASH 98.9 FM and the rest of the WooSox Radio Network.

It will be another busy Saturday in the park as the day will begin with a morning WooSox Free Youth Clinic from 10-11 am, presented by Rob Levine Law (ages 7-14 with registration required). Several celebrations will take place before and during the game including Faith & Family Day, Southeast Asian Heritage Day, Workers Credit Union AR Day (play Woofster’s Workers Reality), and it will be a Framingham Town Takeover, presented by Rodenhiser. The fun continues after the game with the always-popular Sunset Catch on the Field (post-game) and finally a Scout Sleepover, presented by Convenient MD (also post-game and weather permitting).