The Lehigh Valley IronPigs (65-75, 30-35) took on the Worcester Red Sox (72-63, 36-28) in game three on Thursday night at Coca-Cola Park. Alan Rangel was on the mound for Lehigh Valley against Blake Wehunt for Worcester.
Alan Rangel got off to a rough start at the top of the first inning. He walked Braiden Ward before giving up an RBI single to Franklin Arias that put the Red Sox up 1-0. Rangel walked Allan Castro and hit Vinny Capra, which loaded the bases with one out. Tyler McDonough hit an RBI single to shortstop Christian Cairo, scoring Castro for a 2-0 lead.
Nathan Hickey followed up by hitting a two-run RBI single to center field for a 4-0 lead. Tsung-Che Cheng grounded into a forceout at second base, scoring McDonough for a 5-0 lead. A groundout by Tomás Nido ended the inning.
In the bottom of the first inning with two outs, Lehigh Valley center fielder Kameron Misner hit Wehunt’s sinker for a solo home run at 414 feet to center field. The IronPigs trailed the Red Sox 5-1. It was Misner’s 21st home run, and the exit velocity off the bat was 102.3 mph. A groundout by Keaton Anthony ended the inning.
At the top of the third inning with one out, Worcester right fielder Tyler McDonough made it 6-1 when he hit Rangel’s changeup for a solo home run at 385 feet to right-center field. It was his eighth home run of the season, and the exit velocity off the bat was 98.7 mph. Rangel got the last two outs to end the inning.
In the bottom of the third inning, Lehigh Valley left fielder Wuilfredo Antunez hit an RBI triple to right field. Jordan Dissin grounded out to third baseman Mikey Romero, scoring Antunez, and it was now 6-2. Gabriel Rincones Jr. worked a four-pitch walk, but Lehigh Valley was unable to bring him home. Alan Rangel went five innings, allowing five hits, six runs, three walks, and two strikeouts, throwing 93 pitches, of which 57 were strikes.
Tucker Davidson pitched for Lehigh Valley at the top of the sixth inning. Davidson put a runner on base with two outs when Franklin Arias hit an RBI single to right field, scoring Braiden Ward for a 7-2 lead. A groundout by Allan Castro ended the inning. Davidson went two innings, allowing two hits, one run, two walks, and three strikeouts, throwing 41 pitches, of which 21 were strikes.
Kyle Backhus pitched for Lehigh Valley at the top of the eighth inning. He walked one, throwing 18 pitches, of which 10 were strikes, to get three outs. Max Lazar pitched for Lehigh Valley at the top of the ninth inning. He allowed a hit and two strikeouts, throwing 12 pitches, of which nine were strikes.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Lehigh Valley had a runner on first base when Keaton Anthony hit an RBI double to center field, scoring Kameron Misner. It was now 7-3. Later, Lehigh Valley loaded the bases with one out when Wuilfredo Antunez grounded into a forceout at second base, scoring Keaton Anthony. It was now 7-4. A flyout by Jordan Dissin ended the game.
The IronPigs lost to the Red Sox 7-4. Lehigh Valley finished the night with five hits, went one for six with runners in scoring position, and left five men on base. Kameron Misner went 2 for 4 with a home run and an RBI. The loss went to Lehigh Valley starter Alan Rangel (3-8), and the win went to Worcester starter Blake Wehunt (3-1).
The IronPigs and Red Sox play game four on Friday at 6:45 pm on the MLB App and Bally Sports Live. Chuck King (9-8, 4.25 ERA) will be on the mound for Lehigh Valley against John Holobetz (7-7, 4.35 ERA) for Worcester.
