BY DAN GLICKMAN
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Rochester Red Wings (38-26 in the second half, 83-54 overall) began perhaps their most critical series of the second half of the season on Monday with a 3-1 victory over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (36-26 in the first half, 73-63 overall), putting them a game up in the second half International League playoff race.
It was a low-scoring game with little room for error, and the victory came about thanks to good defense (including a home run robbery by center-fielder Andrew Pinckney), clutch hitting (including two RBI hits from Sam Petersen), and a combined pitching performance by seven Red Wings pitchers that saw them strike out 13.
“Really, really great pitching, proud of how they fought after we lost a tough game last night,” said Red Wings manager Matt LeCroy post-game. “Our pitchers just made 13 Ks, allowed only one run, and then Petey got the big hits. That’s a good team effort. We played a pretty good clean game on defense, with the highlight that homer that Pinckney robbed.”
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That robbery in the fifth inning, which kept the game tied at five, was big at the time and became even more important as the game remained continued. With one out and a rehabbing Richard Lovelady on the mound for Rochester, Scranton first baseman Tyler Hardman got hold of a 2-1 sweeper and smashed it high towards center at 105.2 MPH. Pinckney, who recently returned to Rochester when James Wood returned from injury in Washington, ranged back, and prepared to time a leap.
“The ball went out, and I knew the wind was blowing in, so anything up there, I had a shot to catch,” said Pinckney post-game. “I tried to high-point it… and it ended up in my glove.”
AIR PINCKNEY CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF ✈️?? Andrew Pinckney goes UP and steals a possible home run! ESL Play of the Game | @ESLFCUpic.twitter.com/LevBUwZdbc — Rochester Red Wings (@RocRedWings) September 7, 2026
The catch kept it tied at 1-1, a score that held until the bottom of the sixth, when Petersen came up with two outs but men on first and second. He soon found himself facing an 0-2 count against Scranton starter Alexander Cornielle. After fouling off a sweeper, he then got hold of a fastball, singling on a line-drive to left. Leandro Pineda came around and easily scored when Kenedy Corona‘s throw home went very wide. The Red Wings had taken a 2-1 lead.
Peterson added a much-needed insurance run in the eighth, again with two outs, when he jumped on a 91.2 MPH sinker from Danny Watson and sent it deep to left. The ball bounced oddly off the left-field fence and got past Corona, allowing Petersen to power to third for a triple while Pinckney scored to give the Wings a 3-1 lead that they’d hold the rest of the way.
Although Petersen wasn’t available after the game, his manager was full of praise.
“Petey hadn’t felt the greatest lately, he probably felt like he wasn’t in a good spot over the last week and a half, but he’s continued to grind,” said LeCroy. “He’s done some stuff with the hitting department to clean up some of his stroke, and it paid off today. He was a lot quicker to the baseball, and he got some really, really big hits for us.”
Earlier in the game, Scranton had taken an early lead with an RBI single by Jarred Kelenic in the third, but Rochester had tied it up in the bottom of the fourth with a ground-rule double by Pineda.
On the pitching side, Rochester saw a surprise start by Andry Lara, who took over for Zak Kent shortly before gametime – a change that LeCroy said was the result of a request by the Nationals. Lara went 2.1 innings, allowing two hits and the lone earned run. He was followed by Joe Glassey, Lovelady, Kyle Nicolas (who earned the win to move to 3-1), Justin Lawrence, Matt Krook, and finally Gus Varland. Varland came in with two outs in in the top of the eighth and soon found himself facing MLB veteran Oswaldo Cabrera with the bases loaded, but was able to get the strikeout to end the threat before also pitching a scoreless ninth for his seventh save for the Red Wings.
Looking over the bigger picture, Rochester and Scranton opened the series virtually tied, with Scranton at 36-25 (.590) and Rochester at 37-26 (.587). Scranton has lost two games to rainout that will not be made up, so it is entirely possible that the teams could end the season with near-identical records but with one grabbing the final postseason spot by the smallest of percentage points. With Monday’s win, the Red Wings now hold a one-game lead.
“It’s a big game to win, but there’s still a lot of games left, and we got to go and fight every night,” says LeCroy.
The two teams have a rare Tuesday off, but will resume their six-game set on Wednesday at 6:05 p.m. Rochester will send out righty Jack Cebert, while Scranton expects to send out right-hander Brendan Beck.
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