The Lehigh Valley IronPigs (56-60) concluded the six-game road trip on Sunday afternoon against the Worcester Red Sox (58-61) from Polar Park. Lehigh Valley starter Kolby Allard (2-7, 5.11 ERA) was on the mound against Worcester’s Jason Alexander (4-6, 4.79 ERA). The game was delayed for nearly two hours because of rain.
In the bottom of the second inning, Worcester had runners on first and second base with one out when Eddy Alvarez hit a two-run RBI double to left field scoring Jamie Westbrook and Bobby Dalbec for a 2-0 lead. Three batters later with runners on first and second base with two out.
Worcester left fielder Roman Anthony hit an RBI single to right field scoring Eddy Alvarez for a 3-0 lead. Chase Meidroth was up next. However, he would not get a chance to bat as a double steal occurred when Tyler Heineman stole home plate and Roman Anthony was caught stealing second base for the third out as Worcester extended their lead 4-0.
At the top of the third inning, Lehigh Valley had the bases loaded with one out when first baseman Darick Hall hit Alexander’s changeup for a two-run RBI double to right field scoring Ryan McKenna and Jim Haley and the IronPigs trailed the Red Sox 4-2. It was Hall’s 14th double of the season and 59th RBI of the season.
Then, third baseman Buddy Kennedy brought Kody Clemens home with a sacrifice fly to left field. It was now 4-3 Worcester with two outs. A ground out by catcher Rafael Marchan to shortstop Eddy Alvarez ended the inning.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Lehigh Valley starter Kolby Allard gave up a single to Dalton Guthrie and a double to Roman Anthony before being replaced by Alan Rangel. Two batters later, Worcester third baseman Enmanuel Valdez scored Dalton Guthrie was a sacrifice fly to center field for a 5-3 lead. A ground out by Jamie Westbrook ended the inning.
Kolby Allard (4.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 4 K) threw 79 pitches, of which 48 were strikes, while Alan Rangel (1.0 IP, I K) threw 12 pitches, of which 8 were strikes.
Wyatt Olds was the new pitcher for Worcester at the top of the sixth inning. Lehigh Valley had the bases loaded with two outs when second baseman Jim Haley worked a four-pitch walk scoring Rafael Marchan and the IronPigs trailed the Red Sox 5-4. It was Haley’s 27th RBI of the year. Next, designated hitter Kody Clemens hit a two-run RBI single to right field scoring Matt Kroon and Ryan McKenna for a 6-5 lead. It was Clemens’s 39th RBI of the season.
Then, Lehigh Valley shortstop Scott Kingery hit Olds’s slider for an RBI single to shortstop Eddy Alvarez scoring Jim Haley for a 7-5 lead. It was Kingery’s 59th RBI of the season. Lehigh Valley first baseman Darick Hall struck out swinging and the inning was over.
Dylan Covey was the new pitcher for Lehigh Valley in the bottom of the sixth inning. Covey (1,0 IP, 1 K) threw 16 pitches, of which 11 were strikes to get three outs. Zach Haake was the new pitcher for Lehigh Valley in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Haake loaded the bases with nobody out when hit Vaughn Grissom scoring Tyler Heineman and the Red Sox trailed the IronPigs 7-6. Haake got the next two outs before being replaced by Nick Nelson. Next, Worcester designated hitter Kyle Teel hit an RBI single to second baseman Jim Haley scoring Dalton Guthrie, and the game was tied 7-7.
Then, Worcester pitcher Bobby Dalbec cleared the bases with an RBI triple and the Red Sox took a 10-7 lead. Nelson struck out Eddy Alvarez and the inning was over. Zack Haake (0.2 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 K) threw 34 pitches, of which 16 were strikes, while Nick Nelson (1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K) threw 32 pitches, of which 19 were strikes.
Brian Van Belle was the pitcher for Worcester at the top of the ninth inning. Lehigh Valley third baseman Buddy Kennedy flies out to center fielder Dalton Guthrie for the first out, and catcher Rafael Marchan grounded out toward second baseman Vaughn Grissom for the second out.
Next, Lehigh Valley right fielder Matt Kroon hit Belle’s sinker for a solo home run over the wall at left field and the IronPigs trailed the Red Sox 10-8. It was Kroon’s ninth home run of the season and 33rd RBI of the year. The home run went 407 feet with an exit velocity of 104.3 mph. A ground out by right field Carlos De La Cruz ended the game.
The IronPigs lost to the Red Sox 10-8 and lose the series 5-1. The loss went to Lehigh Valley pitcher Zach Haake for his first loss of the season. The win went to Luis Guerrero and Brain Van Belle earned his first save of the season.
The IronPigs return to Coca-Cola Park to begin a 12-game homestand starting on Tuesday against the Rochester Red Wings at 7:05 pm on MiLB.TV. Purchase IronPigs tickets for the 2024 season today on StubHub and Viagogo.
