By DONOVAN MOFFAT
PAWTUCKET, R.I. – The Rochester Red Wings stayed hot and extended their winning streak to six games with a decisive 6-2 victory on the road in Pawtucket on Saturday night.
The Red Wings pitching staff limited Pawtucket to five hits and set the Red Sox down in order six times out of the nine innings.
The Wings offense also did not disappoint as they managed put a runner on base in eight out of the nine innings and scored in four of those innings.
In their last 10 games, the Wings are 8-2 and have scored at least five runs in each game during that span and have risen in the standings to fifth in the International League North at 26-33 and only 8.0 games out of first.
The Red Wings did not waste any time continuing their hot streak at the plate and scored the first run of the contest. In the top of the second, Wilin Rosario laced an RBI double to center field and scored Brent Rooker from first base.
Singles by Drew Maggi and Luis Arraez to lead off the third inning inning set the stage for Willians Astudillo with runners at the corners with no outs. Astudillo, in his first game with the Red Wings this season, singled on the first pitch he saw to right field and scored Maggi. Later in that inning, Jake Cave drove in Arraez with a sacrifice fly to center field extending the Red Wings lead to 3-0.
Dobnak (1-1), in his third start with the Wings, continued his strong performance on the bump during the game, shutting down the first nine batters he faced, three by strikeout.
Rosario stayed hot in is next at-bat going yard on the first pitch he saw to center field to put the Wings up 4-0. Rosario has been one of the hottest bats for the Wings as of late and has batted .405 in his last 10 games with 17 hits and two homers.
Pawtucket saw its first hit of the game with a single from Gorkys Hernandez in the bottom of the fourth. After a wild pitch that advanced Hernandez to second, Chad De La Guerra gave the Red Sox life with an RBI double to center field to cut the deficit to 4-1.
After a scoreless fifth inning from both teams, the Wings showed no signs of stopping the offense. Wynston Sawyer led off the sixth inning with a first pitch double to left field. Later In the inning, Maggi also went first pitch swinging and launched a home run to right center and gave the Wings a 6-1 lead.
Pawtucket’s starting pitcher Matthew Kent (0-4), ended his night throwing 6.0 innings. He gave up six runs on seven hits while striking out four and walking three. Bobby Poyner took over in the seventh for the Red Sox.
Dobnak, set the Pawtucket batters down in order four times in his outing and earned his first win of the season. He finished his night throwing 6.0 innings and only gave up one run on three hits. He added five strikeouts and one walk and lowered his earned run average to 2.55 in four appearances with the Wings. Preston Guilmet came on in relief for the Wings.
De La Guerra cut the Red Wings lead in the bottom of the ninth with a solo shot to left center off of Red Wings pitcher Trevor Hildenberger. De La Guerra finished with a team-high two hits on the night with two RBI, a run and a walk.
Astudillo ended his first game back with the Wings in 2019 going 3-for-4 with three singles with an RBI and a walk. Maggi went 2-for-2 with two RBI, two runs scored and one walk.
For Pawtucket, Hernandez went 1-for-4 with a run scored and Jantzen Witte went 1-for-2 with a single.
The Wings look to complete the four-game sweep of the Red Sox on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 PM.
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