Minor-league week in review: IronPigs lose 9 straight to end season

The so-called “Final Stretch” is finally over for Lehigh Valley as it stumbled its whole way to the finish line.

The IronPigs dropped a lopsided 10-1 affair in Sunday’s season finale against the Worcester Red Sox at Coca-Cola Park, closing the 2021 campaign with nine consecutive losses to go 53-75. With the Triple-A season originally slated to conclude on Sept. 19, they went 9-1 in the 10 games added to the end of the schedule by Major League Baseball in July.

Former Phillies prospect Connor Seabold tossed five innings of one-run ball against Lehigh Valley as he battled IronPigs starter David Paulino, who allowed three runs in six innings.

In the top of the first, Paulino allowed an RBI single to Franchy Cordero, and another former Phillies prospect Jonathan Araúz hit a sacrifice fly to right field.

The WooSox added another off Paulino in the sixth on an RBI single by Jarren Duran to go up 3-1.

The lone run Seabold surrendered came in the second inning, as Darick Hall singled in a run to put Lehigh Valley on the board. Worcester’s bullpen stepped in after the right-hander to shut down the opposing lineup, which could not be said of IronPigs relievers.

Right-hander Mike Adams entered for Lehigh Valley after Paulino. He pitched a scoreless seventh, but allowed two runs in the eighth as Chad De La Guerra hit an RBI double and Josh Ockimey drove in a run on a sac fly. Brian Marconi came in for Adams to get the last two outs of the inning.

Marconi then ran into trouble in the ninth as he allowed four earned runs and only recorded two outs. Left-hander Damon Jones got the final out and allowed an earned run himself before doing so.

John Schreiber toed the rubber for the WooSox in the bottom of the ninth. He threw a scoreless inning, the last of four for Worcester relievers, to close out the game and secure a five-game sweep of the IronPigs.

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