STAFF REPORTS
Bengie Gonzalez and Zack Granite delivered back-to-back two-out RBI singles in the 9th inning as the Rochester Red Wings rallied for a 3-2 win over the Pawtucket Red Sox Thursday night at McCoy Stadium.
The win snapped a three-game losing skid for the Red Wings (15-14) and prevented Rochester from falling below .500 for the first time this season.
Both starters were sharp early as Adalberto Mejia for the Wings and former Red Wing Marcus Walden hurled for the PawSox (15-15). The two traded scoreless frames until the 5th when Leonardo Reginatto doubled down the left field line to score Daniel Palka to give Rochester a 1-0 lead. Mike Miller hit a long solo home run in the 6th off Mejia to tie the game.
Pawtucket put the first two men on with singles to begin the 7th before Mejia induced a double play for the first two outs. Matt Dominguez hit a scorching ground-rule double to left one batter later giving the PawSox their first lead at 2-1.
Mejia was charged with two runs on seven hits including a homer with four strikeouts over 6.2 innings.
Alan Busenitz was impressive, striking out all three men he faced in relief of Mejia.
The Rochester rally began as Matt Hague singled up the middle to begin the 9th. Niko Goodrum pinch ran for Hague and stood at third base with two outs after back-to-back groundouts. John Ryan Murphy then walked, Gonzalez followed with a single to right to tie the game and Granite gave the Wings the lead again with a grounder up the middle, all off Brandon Workman (1-1).
Drew Rucinski got the final out of the 8th and retired the side in order in the 9th to earn his first win of the season. He was added to the active roster roughly an hour before first pitch after he was optioned from Minnesota on Wednesday.
Granite finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and two stolen bases. Gonzalez also went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
