ROCHESTER — Nick Greenwood and Buddy Boshers combined on a five-hit shutout, and the Red Wings beat the Lehigh Valley IronPigs 1-0 Thursday night at Frontier Field. The win moved the Wings to within 2.5 games of the IronPigs for the wild card playoff spot.
The Wings wrap up the home portion of the 2016 regular season with a 7:05 p.m. game with the IronPigs Friday night, with post-game fireworks, two giveaways, and the ZOOperstars!
Greenwood fanned lead-off batter Taylor Featherston, and a flyout and groundout followed for an easy top of the first inning.
Lehigh Valley lefty Anthony Vasquez set down the first two Red Wings hitters, before Mitch Garver ripped a grounder to Featherston at third base. The ball knocked down Featherston, and a high throw to first allowed Garver to reach base. A flyout stranded Garver.
Brock Stassi led off the top of the third for Lehigh Valley with the first hit of the game. But he wouldn’t stay on base for long as on the next pitch Greenwood and Wilfredo Tovar teamed up for a smooth 1-6-3 double play. After another base knock for the IronPigs, Greenwood received some more good defense thanks to a nice running catch from Adam Brett Walker in the left field corner.
John Ryan Murphy continued swinging his hot bat with a leadoff double down the left field line to extend his hit streak to seven games. But the Wings were unable to capitalize and stranded Murphy at second.
Greenwood continued to dominate in the fifth inning picking up two strikeouts. When the IronPig hitters did make contact, the ball didn’t leave the infield with one runner reaching base on an error and the other popping out to Kennys Vargas.
Tommy Field put the Red Wings on the board in the fifth inning launching home run number 11 into the bullpen in left field making it 1-0 Wings.
Greenwood allowed his first hit since the fourth inning in the seventh in the form of a two-out double. But he was able to work around it keeping the Wings in front 1-0.
Boshers replaced Greenwood when the Red Wings took the field in the top half of the eighth. His night was over after working seven innings of shutout baseball. Greenwood only allowed four hits and walked none while striking out five. He threw 91 pitches and 61 of them were strikes.
Boshers was sailing along in the eighth on his rehab assignment until he issued a walk with two men out. After several attempts, he finally caught Featherston napping at first, but he made it into second safely thanks to a delayed throw from Vargas. Boshers locked in and struck out the next batter he faced to end the inning keeping the Red Wings lead 1-0.
Vasquez was the lone pitcher used by Lehigh Valley in the game and he turned in a gem for the IronPigs. He went eight innings allowing three hits, one earned run and no walks while punching out eight Wings hitters. He threw 111 pitches with 73 of them being for strikes.
Boshers came out to pitch the ninth inning and struck out the first man he saw. That was followed up with a walk and then a fielder’s choice put a man on first with two outs in the ninth. Cody Asche lined a single into right field setting up Lehigh Valley with men on first and third with two out with the score still 1-0. Boshers walked the bases loaded and was replaced by Edward Mujica. Mujica came into a tough, bases loaded situation and struck out Darnell Sweeney to end the game and seal the 1-0 victory for the Red Wings.
Lehigh Valley out-hit the Red Wings 5-3.
Winning Pitcher: Greenwood (6-3)
Losing Pitcher: Vasquez (4-1)
Save: Mujica (2)
NOTES:
Because of Wednesday’s weather delay fans can use their August 31 dated tickets as a rain check for either the Sept. 1 or 2 home game, or any April or May 2017 home game. Call the ticket office at 423-WING (9464) for more information…OF Tanner English joined the Red Wings from Class A Advanced Fort Myers, and made his Triple-A debut in the game. He went 0-for-3 and reached on an error.
