In Game Three of the series, the Toledo Mud Hens and Worcester WooSox went head-to-head, where Toledo earned a 3–2 win in 10 innings.
Toledo struck first tonight, although it took a couple innings for both offenses to settle in. In the top of the 3rd, Andrew Navigato singled on a ground ball into right field. Max Clark followed with his second hit of the night after seeing only two pitches through his first two at-bats. Navigato advanced to third on a fly out to center field by Gage Workman, and Clark stole second during the next at-bat. With runners on second and third, Max Anderson singled on a ground ball that deflected off the pitcher’s glove and into the infield, scoring the first run of the night and giving Toledo a 1–0 lead heading into the middle of the 3rd.
The WooSox answered in the bottom of the 5th when Kristian Campbell started the inning with a sharp double into center field. Tyler McDonough followed by launching a two-run home run over the right field wall. Worcester grabbed its first lead of the night and moved ahead 2–1.
Toledo looked quiet for a few innings but found something again in the top of the 8th. Max Anderson drove a deep fly ball into the right field corner and raced around for a triple. Then Brett Callahan dropped a soft blooper over the shortstop’s head, allowing Anderson to score and tie the game back up at 2–2.
The Hens had a chance in the top of the 9th and put the go-ahead run on third but weren’t able to convert it into a run, sending things to Worcester still tied.
The WooSox nearly ended things in the bottom of the 9th. Allan Castro started the inning with a line drive single into right field. Kristian Campbell moved him into scoring position with a groundout to third base, and Castro advanced to third on a wild pitch by Woo-Suk Go. With the winning run standing only 90 feet away, Toledo managed to shut the door and escape the inning to force extras.
With extra-inning rules in effect, Toledo opened the top of the 10th with Trei Cruz placed on second and Gage Workman at the plate. Workman worked a walk to put two runners on with no outs. Max Anderson stepped up and lined a ball right back through the middle, scoring Cruz and giving Toledo a 3–2 lead. Worcester prevented any additional damage by recording an infield fly and a double play.
Now it was Worcester’s turn in the bottom of the 10th with Tyler McDonough beginning on second as the automatic runner. Tsung-Che Cheng worked the count full before striking out while attempting to bunt with two strikes. Vinny Capra followed and struck out on three straight pitches. Down to their final out, Mikey Romero stepped in and fouled off the first two pitches, but Jack Little finished the game with a four-seam fastball for strike three to seal the win.
With the victory, the Mud Hens earned their third straight win against Worcester and improved to 37–40 on the season. Both teams will be back tomorrow night for Game Four, with first pitch scheduled for 6:45 p.m.
Notables:
Sawyer Gipson-Long
5.0 IP (7 K)
Woo-Suk Go
W, 2.0 IP
Max Anderson
3-5 (3B, 2 RBI, R)