BY DAN GLICKMAN
The Rochester Red Wings fell to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Thursday, 12-3, despite a 3-for-4 night by third baseman Jake Alu, including a home run.
After taking an early lead, Rochester was outscored 12-2 from the fifth inning onwards, with the AAA Phillies affiliate scoring four runs each in the fifth, sixth, and eighth innings.
The loss moves the Red Wings to a 1-1 record in the second half of the season.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM JOE TERRITO.
Alu led off the game with a single and later moved to third on a Blake Rutherford single. He then scored on a groundout by Franmil Reyes to make it 1-0. That would be it for the Red Wings offense for much of the night, as Rochester notched only one more hit (another single by Alu in the third) until the seventh.
Right-hander Jose Urena started for Rochester and allowed two hits in the first four innings. Lehigh’s offense broke out in the fifth, though, as catcher John Hicks doubled to drive in two and give the IronPigs the 2-1 victory. Former Red Wings outfielder Jake Cave then homered to right to extend the lead to 4-1.
Lehigh Valley shortstop Weston Wilson almost made the score 5-1, driving a 3-1 pitch to deep left. Rutherford ran backward to the wall and timed his leap perfectly, snagging what would have been a home run and pulling it back for an astounding catch.
The IronPigs continued scoring in the sixth, as Drew Ellis led off with a homer before Scott Kingery later added two more with a double. Kingery came home on a Cave single to increase the Lehigh lead to 8-1.
Rochester cut into the lead in the top of the eighth on Alu’s solo shot to make it 8-2, but Lehigh Valley again scored another four in the eighth to extend their lead to 12-2 with home runs by Kingery and Wilson. The Red Wings plated a final run in the ninth on a Luis Torrens sacrifice fly to move the score to 12-3 but couldn’t make up the 10-run deficit.
Urena took the loss to fall to 0-2 on the season. Lehigh starter T.J. Zeuch allowed five hits and an earned run in seven innings of work to take the win and move to 3-3.
Rochester (35-40 overall) and Lehigh Valley (37-38 overall) continue their series on Friday in Allentown. Rochester is expected to send out right-hander Joan Adon (2-5, 4.84) against Lehigh Righty Drew Hutchison (2-3, 7.04).
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