BY DAN GLICKMAN
The Rochester Red Wings celebrated Independence Day on Saturday with a two-out walk-off single by Andrew Pinckney to give the team the win over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, 2-1.
The two-out single in the bottom of the ninth came on an 0-1 cutter left in the middle by Michael Mercado that Pinckney was able to ground up the middle, allowing Yohandy Morales to score from second after he’d earlier walked and then moved up on a Brady House groundout. While it’s likely that Morales would have been able to score anyway, a misplay trying to scoop up the ball by Lehigh center fielder Steward Berroa allowed the run to move across without a play at the plate.
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The walk-off single ended a game that had largely been dictated by pitching. Both teams managed six hits a piece on Saturday, and walks were also hard to come by (the IronPigs drew three free passes, the Red Wings two).
That pitching excellence began with the starters, as Rochester’s Luis Perales went five innings, striking out seven, walking two, and allowing one hit in the no-decision. He was nearly matched by Lehigh Valley’s Andrew Painter, however, who went six innings allowing four hits and striking out six, although Rochester (6-5 in the second half , 51-33 overall) was able to get a run off him in the fifth when Joey Wiemer doubled with one out to drive in Trey Lipscomb on the only extra-base hit either team managed on the night.
It was only after Perales had left and rehabbing Nationals’ reliever Max Kranick went 1.1 scoreless innings that Lehigh Valley was able to equalize the game at 1-1 with a Dylan Moore single with one out in the seventh against Kyle Nicolas. The IronPigs continued to threaten in the inning with Robert Moore on third as the potential go-ahead run, but Nicolas buckled down and struck out Felix Reyes and longtime MLB player Tommy Pham to end the inning and escape. Paxton Schultz and Luke Young then threw a hitless eighth and ninth inning, respectively, with Young ultimately earning the win in relief when the Red Wings won in the bottom of the ninth to put his record to 4-2.
The victory means the Red Wings can still earn a 3-3 split of the series with Philadelphia’s AAA affiliate if they can win on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. Right-hander Chandler Champlain is expected to take the mound for the Red Wings against Lehigh Valley’s Drake Fellows.
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