Justin Hagenman fired six shutout innings and Vaughn Grissom belted a grand slam as the Worcester Red Sox (28-22)/(63-62) won 13-0 over the Norfolk Tides (21-30)/(57-69) on Sunday afternoon at Harbor Park Stadium.
Vaughn Grissom went 4-for-5 with a grand slam as the WooSox defeated Norfolk on Sunday. (Katie Morrison-O'Day / MassLive)Katie Morrison-O'Day
After their seven-game winning streak was snapped on Saturday, the WooSox’ series finale win was their 13th victory in their last 16 contests.
The WooSox got their first run of the game in the second inning when Nick Sogard scored from first base on Vaughn Grissom’s single to left. Advancing to third on the play, Sogard took off for the plate with the Tides’ attention on Grissom, who made it back to first safely after being caught in a rundown. Jamie Westbrook followed the chaotic play with an RBI double, and Eddy Alvarez added a sacrifice fly to make it a three-run inning for Worcester.
After a perfect second inning from WooSox starter Justin Hagenman, Chase Meidroth led off the third with a double and Kristian Campbell drew a free pass, giving Worcester first and second with nobody out. Following a wild pitch and groundout, Sogard drilled a ball just out of Jud Fabian’s reach in center, scoring both Meidroth and Campbell. At the end of three, Worcester was on top, 5-0.
Heading into the fifth with a five-run advantage and Hagenman in command, the WooSox were not done scoring.
With the bases loaded and one out, Grissom unloaded on a 1-2 slider that cleared the ballpark for a grand slam––breaking the game wide open. Already with a multi-hit day, Grissom entered Sunday hitless in his last 20 at-bats, seeing his batting average drop to .203 during that stretch. Ending the game 4-for-5 with the grand slam and three runs scored, Grissom broke his recent slump in a big way. Alvarez capped the inning with his team-leading 23rd double of the year, driving home the WooSox’ 10th run of the day.
Alvarez’s RBI two-bagger closed the book on Trevor Rogers, who made his first start with the Tides after the Orioles optioned him on Thursday. In four starts with Baltimore since being acquired from the Miami Marlins ahead of the July 30 Trade Deadline, Rogers had allowed 15 earned runs in just 19 innings with the big league club. In the series finale on Sunday, the southpaw was charged with 10 runs as the WooSox broke the game wide open in the fifth.
Entering the top of the seventh with a substantial 10-run advantage, Sogard added to the lead by blasting his 13th home run to right-center––giving the 26-year-old his eighth three-hit game of the season.
The offensive outburst backed Hagenman’s dominant performance on Sunday afternoon, who was relieved by Alex Speas to begin the bottom of the seventh. The WooSox starter ended the day with a line of 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K while throwing 46 of his 64 pitches for strikes. Speas would walk a batter in the seventh but notched two strikeouts in a scoreless inning of work.
After Zach Penrod kept the Tides off the board in the eighth inning, the WooSox’ bats added two more runs in the ninth on four hits, capped by Roman Anthony’s RBI bloop single. Leading by a baker’s dozen, Luis Guerrero entered for the last three outs and struck out the side on 14 pitches to secure the WooSox’ 13-0 win in their series finale with the Tides. Hagenman (W, 4-5) was the winning pitcher on Sunday while Rogers (L, 0-1) was handed the loss in his Norfolk debut.
The WooSox will return to action at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday, opening a six-game homestand at Polar Park against the Toledo Mud Hens. Though Toledo has yet to announce their starting pitcher for the series opener, Richard Fitts (7-5, 4.47) will get the nod for Worcester. The game will be broadcasted live on NESN+ and radio coverage begins at 6:25 p.m. on 98.9 Nash Icon, 100.1 The Pike, and the WooSox Radio Network.
