Travis Blankenhorn came up a double short of the cycle Thursday night as the visiting Rochester Red Wings defeated the Lehigh Valley IronPigs 12-3. Blankenhorn, playing in his first game since being returned from the Washington Nationals, finished with two RBI while Jake Alu collected four batting 2-for-5. Drew Millas led the Wings in hits going 4-for-6 with two runners scored of his own. Dylan Crews, Carter Kieboom and Jack Dunn each also had multi-hit nights in an offensive onslaught by Rochester.
The Red Wings established a 3-0 advantage in the second inning and didn’t look back. Millas and Kieboom began with hits and Alu dropped a base hit into center field to drive them in. Then, Dunn singled on a ground ball and scored Alu. Kieboom and Dunn both went 2-for-4 with a walk and the former added two plated runs.
Millas’ third-inning RBI double extended the lead before Lehigh Valley tallied two runs in the fourth.
The sides then traded runs before Rochester pulled away in the seventh. Darren Baker and Blankenhorn led the frame off with back-to-back singles but then waited until Kieboom’s two-out walk to load the bases. Alu knocked a bases-clearing double as right fielder Carlos De La Cruz recorded a throwing error and Rochester went up 8-3. Baker also had a base on balls.
An inning later, Blankenhorn blasted a two-run homer to center field that scored Crews who reached on a one-bagger earlier. The Red Wings netted one more run in the frame as Brady House walked and later crossed home on Kieboom’s single. In the ninth, Dylan Crews hit a RBI single to bring across Brady Lindsly for run number 12.
Andrew Alvarez was the winning pitcher, starting and turning in five innings with seven fanned and only two earned runs allowed. Orlando Ribalta, Tim Cate and Ty Tice all contributed scoreless relief outings.
Buddy Kennedy and Jim Haley were the only IronPigs’ with multi-hit outings. Haley doubled twice with two RBI while Kennedy was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and a walk. Ryan McKenna hit an RBI double.
Rochester trails Columbus by a game and a half for the top spot in International League.
Friday, Rochester will aim to win its 10th game in the last 11 when the Wings are back at Coca-Cola Park to take on the IronPigs again. The Red Wings are expected to start Jackson Rutledge and Seth Johnson is probable to take the mound for Lehigh Valley. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m.
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