PawSox Lose Final Road Game of the Season, to Close Out the Season at McCoy

PawSox news release…

(Allentown, PA) – In their 2016 road finale, the Pawtucket Red Sox erased a three-run deficit thanks to Chris Marrero’s sixth-inning double, but Andrew Knapp’s home run in the bottom of the frame ultimately lifted the Lehigh Valley IronPigs to a 4-3 victory on Wednesday night at Coca-Cola Park.

The PawSox (71-66) allowed only five hits, but the loss handed wild card-leading Lehigh Valley (82-56) a two-game sweep.

Pawtucket starter Henry Owens (9-7) surrendered four runs on five hits and three walks in 5.2 innings pitched. He fanned six and tossed 108 pitches, his second-highest total of the season.

In five August starts, Owens sported a 1.82 ERA.

The IronPigs opened the scoring in the third inning. Owens walked Darnell Sweeney to begin the frame and he scored on Cam Perkins’ double to right field.

Lehigh Valley scored again in the very next inning thanks to a two-out rally.

Cody Asche flared a single to right, Brock Stassi walked and Sweeny drove them both home with a double to left center field that made it 3-0 IronPigs.

After hitting into a pair of double plays over the first five frames, the PawSox finally broke through against IronPigs starter David Buchanan (9-9) in the sixth inning.

Ryan LaMarre and Christian Vazquez lined back-to-back singles that brought Chris Marrero to the plate with one out.

Marrero knocked a drive off the wall in right center field that scored both LaMarre and Vazquez. Cam Perkins had trouble picking up the ball on the play, which allowed Marrero to advanced to third. The next batter, Jantzen Witte, delivered a game-tying sacrifice fly.

Marrero collected 10 extra-base hits and 13 RBI in his nine games at Coca-Cola Park this season, including six doubles and four home runs. He has tallied 71 RBI this season, becoming the first Pawtucket player to record at least 70 RBI since Mauro Gomez had 74 in 2012.

Lehigh Valley quickly retook the lead when Andrew Knapp led off the bottom of the sixth with a home run (8) to left field off Owens.  

Roman Mendez delivered 1.1 scoreless innings, while Joe Kelly struck out two in a 1-2-3 eighth to keep the score, 4-3.

But PawSox stranded a single in each of the seventh and eighth innings before they went down in order in the ninth.

With the defeat, Pawtucket split the season series with the IronPigs, 9-9, and split the six games on its final road trip.

The PawSox return home for the final five games of the season beginning with tomorrow night’s opener of a three-game series with the Syracuse Chiefs at 7:05 p.m. Pawtucket lefthander Brian Johnson (5-6, 4.33) is scheduled to make the start against Syracuse righthander Mat Latos (1-0, 1.06). Radio coverage on WHJJ (920 AM) and throughout the PawSox radio network begins at 6:35 p.m.