By Laura Soukkavong –
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Worcester Red Sox were down.
They were not done.
And when the eighth inning arrived Saturday night at Sahlen Field, Kristian Campbell made sure the Buffalo Bisons learned the difference.
Trailing 2-1 and running out of outs, Worcester exploded for three runs in the eighth, with Campbell crushing a two-run, go-ahead homer that powered the WooSox to a 4-2 comeback victory.
Five straight wins.
Another comeback.
And now Worcester is one victory away from sweeping the entire five-game series.
The WooSox improved to 34-26 and 70-61 overall, continuing a late-season surge that has suddenly turned into a serious winning streak.
Worcester wasted no time getting started.
For the fourth consecutive game, the WooSox scored in the first inning.
Nate Eaton singled to left with one out before Anthony Seigler worked a walk.
Then Romy Gonzalez ripped an RBI double into right-center field, bringing Eaton home and giving Worcester an immediate 1-0 advantage.
This isn’t some fluke anymore.
The WooSox have scored 109 first-inning runs this season, the third-highest total in the International League.
They have made early punches part of their identity.
But Buffalo punched back.
Nick Goodwin led off the bottom of the fourth with a home run, tying the game 1-1.
Then came the sixth.
Goodwin doubled with one out before Lenyn Sosa dropped an RBI single into left-center field.
For the first time in the series, Buffalo had the lead.
Bisons 2.
WooSox 1.
And for Worcester, the challenge was suddenly different.
This wasn’t about protecting a lead.
This wasn’t about playing from ahead.
This was about whether a team riding a four-game winning streak could take a punch, get off the mat and steal another game late.
The answer came in the eighth.
Anthony Seigler started the comeback with a one-out triple to left.
Romy Gonzalez followed with a sacrifice fly to right.
Tie game.
Then Mikey Romero singled to left.
And Kristian Campbell stepped to the plate.
Campbell got a 1-0 slider.
He didn’t miss it.
The ball disappeared over the right-field wall for a two-run homer.
Just like that, Worcester went from trailing 2-1 to leading 4-2.
That is how quickly a baseball game can flip.
One triple.
One sacrifice fly.
One single.
One swing.
Game turned upside down.
And Campbell continues to make noise.
In 43 games since July 1, Kristian Campbell is hitting .314 with six home runs and 28 RBI.
Those numbers are not empty.
Saturday night’s home run came with the game hanging in the balance.
It came after Worcester had trailed.
It came in the eighth inning.
And it gave the WooSox the lead they would never surrender.
That’s delivering when the game demands it.
But Campbell’s blast only matters if the bullpen finishes the job.
It did.
Devin Sweet came out for the bottom of the eighth and slammed the door with a perfect inning.
Then Sam McWilliams got the ninth.
Buffalo managed a two-out single, giving the Bisons one final flicker of life.
McWilliams killed it.
He finished the inning and earned his first save with Worcester.
That preserved another strong pitching performance from Michael Sansone.
Making his 11th Triple-A appearance, Michael Sansone worked five innings and allowed only one run on two hits.
He kept Worcester within striking distance.
That became enormous once Buffalo grabbed the lead in the sixth.
This was not an offensive avalanche from the WooSox.
They didn’t need one.
They needed their starter to keep the game close.
They needed their bullpen to prevent Buffalo from pulling away.
And they needed their offense to finally strike when the opportunity arrived.
All three happened.
That is what makes this victory different from simply looking at the final score.
Worcester was losing entering the eighth inning.
Buffalo had finally grabbed its first lead of the entire series.
The Bisons had an opportunity to stop Worcester’s momentum and finally put a game in the win column.
Instead, the WooSox ripped it away from them.
And they did it fast.
Anthony Seigler’s triple created the opening.
Romy Gonzalez delivered the tying run.
Mikey Romero kept the inning alive.
Kristian Campbell finished the job.
That is a lineup producing pressure from multiple spots instead of waiting for one player to rescue everybody.
And now the streak is five.
It is the fourth time this season Worcester has won five consecutive games.
Sunday offers something even bigger.
Six.
The WooSox can match their season-best six-game winning streak.
More importantly, they can finish off Buffalo and sweep the five-game series at Sahlen Field.
That’s the opportunity sitting directly in front of them.
First pitch Sunday is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.
Gage Ziehl is scheduled to make his sixth Triple-A start for Worcester. He enters at 2-3 with a 4.81 ERA.
Buffalo is scheduled to counter with Grant Rogers, who enters at 4-11 with a 6.08 ERA.
The assignment for Worcester couldn’t be clearer.
Finish it.
The WooSox have already won four different ways in this series.
Saturday they proved they can win from behind.
They took Buffalo’s first lead of the series, absorbed it and erased it when the pressure was highest.
Now comes the chance to turn five straight victories into six and a dominant series into a sweep.
Worcester has Buffalo on the ropes.
Sunday is the chance to deliver the final blow.
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