BY JONATHAN SKUZA
The Rochester Red Wings fell to the Worcester Red Sox 5-4 Thursday evening after a three-run seventh-inning rally to propel the home team.
After the Red Wings took a 4-2 lead in the top of the seventh inning, Niko Goodrum hit a two-run base hit to tie the ball game. Caleb Hamilton and Bradley Zimmer came around to tie the ballgame. Bobby Dalbec drove home the game-winning run with an RBI base hit of his own with two outs in the inning. Christian Koss scored the game-deciding run.
Ryan Fitzgerald opened the scoring for the Red Sox with a sacrifice fly in the first inning that scored Nick Sogard. Zimmer hit a solo shot in the fifth inning to pull Worcester within one of Rochester.
Travis Blankenhorn tied the game for the Wings in the fourth inning with a solo long ball to center field to extend his on-base streak to 24 games. The Red Wings took the lead that inning after a double steal by Richie Martin and Derek Hill forced the Red Sox catcher to commit a throwing error. Carter Kieboom drove in Hill with his first triple of the season to give the Red Wings a 3-1 lead in the fourth.
Franmil Reyes blasted his eighth home run of the season in the seventh to give Rochester a 4-2 lead.
Wily Peralta pitched six solid innings on the mound for the Red Wings striking out four while giving up two runs on five hits and two walks. The Red Wings bullpen did not help Peralta as they gave the other three runs in the last two innings pitched.
The Red Wings will look to bounce back against the Red Sox as they continue the series on Friday at 6:45 p.m. when Rochester will send right-hander Paolo Espino (3-1, 4.09) to the mound and Worcester will start left-hander Shane Drohan (1-1, 6.27).
Baseball 101 folks. This should never have been a loss. Wings pitchers got real lazy in the 7th and disregarded baserunners. They stole 2nd twice with nary a look. The 2nd time it put the winning run in scoring position. Had he remained at 1st, the two out hit would have only tied the game. The outcome may have been different.
With the new rules, stealing bases has returned to the 100 Acre Woods as an offensive weapon. Sox used it to perfection last night and stole a victory. Contributing to the winning rally was a very awful relief outing by Harris. He was totally ineffective.
I was really expecting Wings to reach that elusive .500 mark last night. They gave it away.