BY DAN GLICKMAN
The Rochester Red Wings dropped their series finale in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday, 5-3, sending the Wings to a 4-2 series defeat against the RailRiders.
The loss ends a two-game winning streak for Rochester and sends the Wings home with a 6-6 record on their road trip. It also continues a streak of losing series for Rochester at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre: according to the team, the Red Wings haven’t won or tied a series at the home of the Yankees affiliate since they tied a series in 2019.
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Rochester took an early lead before falling behind in the middle innings.
The scoring started in the first. With one out, second baseman Luis Garcia doubled to center on a line drive. A batter later, first baseman Jake Noll knocked an RBI single to center off Scranton starter Zach Greene to open scoring at 1-0.
The Red Wings extended their lead in the top of the third against reliever Ron Marinaccio. Right fielder Paul Witt, just called up Saturday from Single-A Fredericksburg, led off the inning with a double and then moved to third on a Cody Wilson sacrifice bunt. Left fielder Darren Baker followed up with a walk and a steal, and then Garcia brought Witt home on a sacrifice fly. Although the Red Wings could not score another run that inning, they entered the bottom of the third up 2-0.
Scranton narrowed the lead in the third. Loading the bases with one out against Wings’ starter Jackson Rutledge, Andres Chaparro brought a run home with a sacrifice fly to left. Rochester escaped the inning without any other damage and the 2-1 lead.
The RailRiders jumped ahead in the bottom of the fifth with a two-out rally. Rutledge put down the first two batters he faced, but then Everson Pereira doubled to center. Chaparro followed with a single to bring Pereira in and tie the game at two. Finally, former big-leaguer Franchy Cordero hit a home run just over the right field fence. The round-tripper, Cordero’s ninth of the season, put Scranton ahead 4-2 and knocked Rutledge out of the game.
A sacrifice fly by Witt to score Jack Dunn in the seventh got the Red Wings back within one, 4-3, but Scranton took the run back in the bottom part of the inning on Oswald Peraza‘s 13th home run of the season to make it 5-3. Scranton held that lead the rest of the way.
Rutledge took the first loss of his AAA career to move to 1-1 on the season, while Scranton’s Deivi Garcia moved to 3-2 with his relief win.
The Red Wings (17-16 in the second half, 51-55 overall, 3.5 games back) return home on Tuesday to begin a series with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (19-12 in the second half, 55-49 overall, 0.5 games back). Right-hander Tommy Romero (4-4, 5.70) is expected to start the series opener, with first pitch scheduled for 6:45 p.m.
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