​A game that looked like it would be a laugher in support of the WooSox took an eventful turn at Polar Park on Thursday against the Red Wings (WAS). The chaos began in the top of the third when Nick Sogard started a triple play on a caught line drive, with the baserunners moving on the pitch. That sequence ignited Worcester, as the WooSox piled up eight runs over the next two innings. Andrew Knizner drove in three on a double in the third, Sogard added two more with a ground-rule double, and Mickey Gasper delivered the eighth run with an RBI single. After Tyler Uberstine went three innings in relief to earn the win, some names familiar to supporters of the major league club endured a rough stretch in relief. Tyler Samaniego yielded four hits and two runs, and Alec Gamboa allowed seven baserunners and three runs to close out an 8-7 victory.
Looking ahead to Friday, Raymond Burgos (1-4, 6.25) will take the mound for Worcester at 6:45.
In a parallel slugfest, the Sea Dogs and Fisher Cats (TOR) staged a similar scoring frenzy on Thursday, though New Hampshire eventually pulled away with a six-run eruption in the eighth. Gage Ziehl started and didn’t have it, surrendering three homers and eight earned runs over three innings. The Sea Dogs remained in contention, trimming the deficit to 9-7 after five thanks to Brooks Brannon’s 13th homer and Nate Baez’s ninth, a three-run shot. Even while trailing by a wide margin in the ninth, Franklin Arias belted his 18th home run of the season. John Holobetz (4-3, 4.57) is set to take the ball on Friday at 6:03 ET.
Meanwhile, the Drive rode a pair of long balls to a 5-4 win on Thursday over the Grasshoppers (PIT). Antonio Anderson launched his fifth homer in the third, followed shortly by Justin Gonzales’s 11th. Calvin Bickerstaff carried the load on the mound, tossing 4 1/3 innings to claim his fifth win, striking out five while permitting just one run. Steven Brooks locked down the save with his sixth. For Friday, Marcus Phillips (0-4, 6.75) is scheduled to pitch for the Drive at 7:00.
On the RidgeYaks side, Jacob Meyers and Brady Tygart were hit hard on Thursday as the Fireflies (KC) raced to a 9-4 lead after five innings. Catcher Adonys Guzman provided a bright spot offensively, driving in a run with a single early and homering in the fifth. The RidgeYaks will send Christian Foutch (0-5, 6.18) to the hill on Friday at 7:05.
These condensed recaps capture the trends of a busy week across the affiliates, with power bats providing the highlight reels and pitchers juggling waves of hits and runs.