Derailing the RailRiders

INF Brandon Snyder had the hot bat in Game 1 against the RailRiders

Ryan Fox (@Scoop_Fox87)

Oh how good does it feel to be back home. After a long 8-game road trip to the likes of Indianapolis and Louisville, batting two teams as well as the elements, the Pawtucket Red Sox came back home to McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Though it’s a minor stop before heading back on the road yet again, it’s good to be back in front of your home crowd. 

Mother Nature seemed to be cooperating as it was a beautiful evening, not a cloud in the sky and temperatures in the high 60s, low 70s. Awaiting the PawSox was their International League North rivals, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees) for the first game of their 16 meetings in 2014.

Taking the mound for the PawSox was RHP Brandon Workman (2-1, 5.34). Last time out, he pitched a as he was opposed by RailRiders RHP Brian Gordon. Last time Workman took the mound was 5 days back on May 12 at Louisville. In a 9-8 victory over the Bats, Workman went 5 innings, giving up 4 runs (all earned) on 10 hits, walking one batter while striking out two more on 87 pitches (58 of them were strikes). He was opposed by RHP Brian Gordon (2-3, 4.06) of the RailRiders.

The national anthem was sung, the first pitch was thrown, the young ones screamed out ‘Play Ball,’ and everybody was ready to go.

For the first two innings, it seemed like defense and pitching was going to dictate the pace of the game. Both Workman and Gordon seemed to befuddle the batters they were facing with a barrage of fastballs, forcing them to swing early or jamming them into a double play. However it was in the bottom of the 3rd when the offenses woke up.

After getting on base with a single, PawSox SS Mike McCoy was able to steal second. But then the throw to cut him down went array and he chugged on down to third base. After a walk to LF Alex Hassan, 2B Ryan Roberts came to the plate. He connected on a single that ended up scoring McCoy as the PawSox got on the scoreboard first 1-0. A single by 1B Ryan Lavarnway loaded the bases up, setting the stage for a giant blow in the early portions. DH Brandon Snyder came up to bat and smacked a double that cleared the bases to push the score to 4-0.

But the RailRiders were able to strike back hard. First in the top of the 6th inning, RailRider SS Dean Anna took a 1-2 fastball by Workman and sent it flying to the 375 ft. mark in right field. That cut the deficit to 4-1. Then in the following inning, 3B Zelous Wheeler got on base with a 2-out single. Then DH Jose Pirela slammed the ball over at the 325 ft. mark in left field to bring it to 4-3. After giving up his second home run of the game, PawSox Skipper Kevin Boles decided to give Workman the rest of the night off and went to the bullpen for the rest of the game.

However the PawSox batters decided to repay the favor for the damage the RailRiders did in the 7th inning. Who better to lead the way than Snyder as he belted a solo shot over the left field wall to push their lead to 5-3 over the RailRiders. Then after a single by 3B Gabe Cecchini and a pop out by Vazquez, CF Corey Brown was up to bat. He then smacked a double to right field that ended up scoring Cecchini to make the score 6-3 as it stayed that way for the rest of the game.

PawSox LHP Chris pitched 1.1 innings in relief for Workman, not allowing a run or hit in that span. Then in the 9th, RHP Alex Wilson pitched lights out and ended up getting the save (his 5th of the year).

So when the dust settled, the final score was 6-3 in favor of the home team. Workman ended up getting the victory, pushing his record to 3-1 for the season. He pitched 6.2 innings, giving up 3 runs (all earned) on 6 hits, walking 2 batters while striking out 6 more on 104 pitches (66 for strikes). The big bat for the PawSox was DH Brandon Snyder as he finished the game 3-for-4 with a double, a home run (8th of the season), and 4 RBIs.

The PawSox and RailRiders will continue their 4-game series at McCoy in an early matchup at 1:05 p.m. Taking the mound for PawSox will be RHP Rubby De La Rosa (2-3, 3.40). Opposing him will be RHP Zach Nuding (1-2, 11.57) of the RailRiders.