STAFF REPORTS
Aaron Slegers tied for the league lead with his eighth win and Rochester hit three home runs leading to a season-high for runs in a game as the Red Wings beat the Lehigh Valley IronPigs 12-3 Monday night at Coca-Cola Park.
Slegers (8-4) and Cesar Ramos (4-3) were locked in a battle early. The Red Wings (44-37) had just one hit and the IronPigs (52-32) recorded just two hits through the first three innings.
Mitch Garver opened the scoring with a solo home run with one out in the 4th. The lead didn’t last long as Rhys Hoskins hit a three-run homer in the bottom half to give Lehigh Valley a 3-1 advantage.
Rochester responded in the 5th, though the inning could have been over four batters in. With one out and a runner at first base, Engelb Vielma grounded a ball towards third baseman Hector Gomez. The IronPigs would have had a chance to turn a double play but Gomez committed an error. The Red Wings took advantage, scoring five runs to take a 6-3 lead. Zack Granite drove in a run with a single and Matt Hague followed with a sacrifice fly to tie the game. Garver walked to chase Ramos from the game and Lehigh Valley reliever Colton Murray was greeted by a three-run home run from ByungHo Park, his first long ball since May 21, to straightaway center field.
The Wings continued the onslaught in the next three innings, scoring six runs to cap the scoring at 12-3 with 11 unanswered runs. Vielma added a sac fly in the 6th, Garver, Niko Goodrum and John Ryan Murphy added RBIs in the 7th and Hague hit a two-run homer in the 8th.
Slegers, meanwhile, allowed just four baserunners after the Hoskins home run. He struck out the side in the 6th and was lifted after a two-double in the 7th. Slegers allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks with six strikeouts over 6.2 innings. His eight wins tie him with Lehigh Valley’s Pat Venditte and Columbus’ Shawn Marimando for the league lead.
Rochester scored a season-high 12 runs to cap a 6-3 road trip. Every Red Wing starter had at least one hit and the top four in the batting order (Granite, Hague, Garver and Park) finished a combined 8-for-18 with a double, three home runs, nine RBI and nine runs scored.
