ROCHESTER — The Red Wings split a Sunday afternoon doubleheader with first place Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at Frontier Field. The RailRiders blanked the Wings 4-0 in the opener, and the Wings edged the RailRiders 4-3 in the second game.
The Wings return home Thursday, August 18 to host Buffalo, with Bills Hall of Famer Jim Kelly signing autographs before the game; complete promotions details below…
Game One:
The Wings put two men on base in each of the first two innings, but were unable to push across a run. With players on first and second and one out in both frames, RailRiders starter Jordan Montgomery was able to record strikeouts for the second and third outs.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre scored first when Ben Gamel hit an RBI single off David Hurlbut in the top of the third to drive in Irondequoit native Cito Culver. They extended the lead to 2-0 in the fifth when Jonathan Diaz executed a safety squeeze bunt that scored Pete Kozma.
Montgomery’s outing ended with two outs in the sixth, as Nick Goody entered the game to face Wilfredo Tovar. Montgomery scattered six hits, struck out eight and allowed three walks. He threw 98 pitches, 68 for strikes.
After the RailRiders recorded two singles to start the top of the seventh, Hurlbut was relieved by Jake Reed. Hurlbut allowed nine hits and four earned runs, with two strikeouts and a walk.
Diaz was ejected by home plate umpire Ben May in the seventh after being called out on strikes. He was replaced by Chris Parmelee, who took over at first base while Culver moved to short.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre added to their lead with two more runs in the seventh. Clint Frazier’s bloop single to right scored Kozma for a 3-0 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre advantage and Rob Refsnyder walked with the bases loaded, sending home Culver and making it 4-0.
Goody earned his fifth save of the season. He retired the last four Rochester batters, including two strikeouts.
The Wings were shut out for the 12th time this season. Reynaldo Rodriguez was the only Rochester batter with multiple hits, singling twice.
Winning Pitcher: Montgomery (2-1)
Losing Pitcher: Hurlbut (0-1)
Save: Goody (5)
Game Two:
Right-hander Omar Bencomo made his Red Wings debut, after joining the team from Double-A Chattanooga on Saturday. The RailRiders used a lead-off walk and three singles to take a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.
The Wings got a run back in the bottom of the first when Daniel Palka doubled off Kyle Haynes to score Reynaldo Rodriguez. It was Palka’s 10th double and 15th RBI for Rochester this season.
Rochester scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth to go up 3-2. John Ryan Murphy hit a double that drove in Wilfredo Tovar to tie the game at two. The Wings took the lead when Haynes threw a wild pitch and Murphy scored.
Tommy Field left the game after striking out in the fifth. He was replaced in the field by Leonardo Reginatto.
In the top of the sixth, a two out single of Bencomo and a wild pitch by Alex Wimmers put the tying run at second. Reynaldo Rodriguez made a long run and a great grab of a pop fly with his back to the field, ending the threat.
Bencomo worked 5.2 innings allowing seven hits, two earned runs and a walk with four strikeouts. He threw 71 pitches, 52 for strikes.
Daniel Palka launched a long home run off Haynes in the bottom of the sixth inning, increasing the Wings’ lead to 4-2. In the top of the seventh, the RailRiders moved to within a run when a one-out double from Eddy Rodriguez made the score 4-3. Wimmers struck out Mason Williams for the second out, and a walk put runners at the corners. Sean Burnett came out of the bullpen to face Ben Gamel, and a groundout ended the game.
Winning Pitcher: Bencomo (1-0)
Losing Pitcher: Haynes
Save: Burnett (3)
NOTES:
Rochester native Cito Culver went 3-for-3 with two runs scored in Game One…Twins 3B/OF Miguel Sano did not play Sunday and has an MRI scheduled for his sore right elbow…Single-A Ft. Myers right-handed pitcher Fernando Romero is the Twins minor league Player of the Week…Romero made one start for the Miracle, coming Friday vs. Charlotte, pitching 7.0 shutout innings with six hits allowed, no walks and 11 strikeouts…the 21-year-old has made nine starts for the Miracle this season, going 3-2, 2.39 ERA (49.0 IP, 13 ER) with eight walks and 48 strikeouts…he was signed by the Twins out of the Dominican Republic on November 4, 2011 and has a career minor league record of 10-7, 2.56 ERA (165.0 IP, 47 ER) with 45 walks and 157 strikeouts… Wilfredo Tovar stole his 27th base in Game Two, the most in a season for any Red Wing in the Frontier Field era.
