SYRACUSE — The Syracuse Chiefs used six consecutive singles to opening the third inning, eventually plating six runs in the frame, to beat the Rochester Red Wings 6-4 Tuesday night at NBT Bank Stadium.
The damage came against Rochester starter Pat Dean (5-7). The Chiefs (52-64) didn’t hit any of the balls particularly hard but they found holes. A sacrifice fly ended the string of consecutive hits but a stolen base and another single later meant the end for Dean. He was charged for all six runs on 10 hits with two strikeouts in 2.1 innings.
The Red Wings (65-52) actually took a second-inning lead as Daniel Palka led off the frame with a solo shot, his sixth with the Wings and 27th between Double and Triple-A this season. The six-run third inning gave Syracuse and starter Taylor Hill (6-9) a 6-1 lead.
Rochester kept chipping away as Adam Brett Walker tripled in a run in sixth and James Beresford tripled and scored in the seventh and the deficit was down to 6-3. D.J. Baxendale, who took over for Dean in the third, kept the Chiefs off the board with 2.2 scoreless innings despite three hits and two walks. Ryan O’Rourke was lights out again, firing 2.0 scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts. Pat Light fired a perfect eighth inning and has yet to be scored upon in three appearances with Rochester.
The Wings rallied in the ninth but ultimately came up short. Beresford reached on a one-out error and John Ryan Murphy walked with two outs to bring the tying run to the plate in Tommy Field. Field popped a shallow fly to right field that fell between two fielders for an RBI single. Byron Buxton, optioned to Rochester on Monday, pinch ran for Field.
That brought up Logan Schafer with runners at the corners. Schafer struck out on a slider but the ball kicked away from Syracuse catcher Neftali Soto. Murphy scored, Buxton went to second and Schafer stood at first. Home plate umpire Ryan Additon then huddled with the other two umpires and it was then determined that the ball struck Schafer’s foot which, by rule, means the batter is out. Red Wings manager Mike Quade pleaded his case but the ruling stood and the Chiefs took the first game of the three-game series.
Walker and Field finished with three hits apiece in the loss. Rochester has now lost three in a row and now trail division-leading Scranton/Wilkes-Barre by 8.5 games.
From RochesterRedWings.com.
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