STAFF REPORTS
The Rochester Red Wings lost in walk-off fashion for a second consecutive day Sunday afternoon in Scranton/WB. This time around it was Irondequoit High School product Cito Culver who sent the Wings home with a 5-4 loss after dropping down a perfectly executed squeeze play with runners on first and third and one out in the 11th inning.
The walk-off loss is the fourth for the Red Wings (19-19) this season.
The RailRiders winning rally was started by a one-out walk to Clint Frazier. Michael Tonkin then yielded a soft single to right setting the stage for Culver – who homered against the Wings on Saturday night.
The Wings erased an early 3-0 deficit with a four-spot in the third inning. After a throwing error by RailRiders starter Eric Ruth on a Daniel Palka comebacker allowed Zack Granite to scamper home from first, Byungho Park and Tommy Field hit back-to-back homers. The homer for Park was his second in as many days and third of the season.
A Dustin Fowler homer and a sac fly from Frazier against Wings starter Nik Turley staked the RailRiders to a 2-0 lead in the first. After a wild pitch allowed a run to score in the second, Turley retired 10 of the last 11 batters he faced. The former RailRider went five innings, allowing three runs on three hits with a pair of walks and three strikeouts.
Turley turned things over to Alan Busenitz who turned in a scoreless sixth and seventh inning. Over his last eight appearances, the right-hander has tossed 12.2 scoreless innings allowing just four hits and two walks with 16 strikeouts.
The Wings had a chance to extend their lead in the 8th but J.B. Shuck grounded into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded.
Scranton tied the game in the eighth on a one-out sac fly off the bat of Rob Refsnyder.
NOTES: Granite extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a single in the 3rd inning. Over the streak he’s hitting .341 (14-for-41). The 10-game streak is the longest by a Red Wings player this season…The last run allowed by Busenitz came April 19 @ Gwinnett.
NEXT UP: After an off day on Monday, the Wings open a seven-game homestand at Frontier Field on Tuesday night.
NEXT HOME GAME: Tuesday, May 23 vs. Durham (Rays), 7:05 p.m.
TICKETS: Order tickets online, anytime at RedWingsBaseball.com/Tickets or call 423-WING (9464) to charge by phone, Mon-Fri. 9 am-5 pm and weekend game days starting at 10 a.m.
PROMOTIONS: Check out complete, updated home game promotion details at RedWingsBaseball.com/Fun
