STAFF REPORTS
ROCHESTER — The Rochester Red Wings defeated the Gwinnett Stripers 8-3 Wednesday afternoon at Frontier Field. The Wings are off on Thursday, then open a series in Syracuse on Friday.
The Stripers got on the board in the top half of the first inning as Wings starter Adalberto Mejia allowed a walk and base hit with one out. Carlos Franco then singled, allowing Jaff Decker to score from second base, giving Gwinnett an early 1-0 lead. Tyler Smith singled to right field with one out and for the second straight game, Jake Cave made a perfect throw to to cut Dustin Peterson down at the plate, keeping the Gwinnett lead at 1-0.
Rochester wasted no time taking the lead as Kennys Vargas singled off of Gwinnett pitcher Phil Pfeifer, allowing Nick Buss to score from second and evening the score 1-1. After Brock Stassi was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Leonardo Reginatto lifted a sac fly which allowed Cave to score, giving Rochester a 2-1 lead.
After throwing just one pitch in the top half of the second inning, Mejia was lifted from the game with an apparent injury and replaced by Mason Melotakis. Mejia finished the day going 1.0+ innings, allowing one run on three hits. Mejia threw 22 pitches, 15 for strikes.
Pfeifer, a reliever making a spot start, was replaced after one inning of work, allowing two runs on two hits. Pfeifer threw 36 pitches, 22 for strikes.
In the third, Peterson belted a home run into the Red Wings bullpen, tying the game 2-2.
Consecutive hits by James Ramsey and Gregorio Petit in the bottom half of the fourth inning allowed Rochester to retake the lead after a sacrifice fly from Buss with men on the corners brought in Ramsey to score, giving the Wings a 3-2 lead. Rochester added another run as Cave recorded his second sacrifice fly of the game, allowing Petit to score and increase the lead to 4-2.
In a perfectly executed hit-and-run by Vargas, Jermaine Curtis moved to third base. With Stassi at the plate, an error by Gwinnett first baseman Rio Ruiz allowed Curtis to score from third, giving Rochester a 5-2 lead.
Gabriel Moya came on to relieve Melotakis to begin the fifth inning. Melotakis went 3.0 innings, allowing one run on two hits.
Gwinnett got a run back in the top half of the fifth after a Peterson double brought Chris Stewart home to score, cutting the Rochester lead to 5-3.
The Stripers loaded the bases with two outs in the top half of the sixth but could not score after Moya got Jose Bautista to chase a pitch in the dirt, striking out to end the threat.
In the seventh, Matt Magill came on to relieve Moya who pitched 2.0 innings allowing one run on four hits while striking out four.
The Wings tallied three runs in the bottom of the eighth on a wild pitch and two bases loaded walks, for a 8-3 Red Wings lead.
Magill was sharp in relief again, striking out four in his first two innings until allowing a pair of hits in the ninth. But Magill finished the game off for a three-inning save, securing the Wings win.
Bautista was 1-for-5 with a strikeout and a flyout.
Winning Pitcher: Melotakis (2-1)
Losing Pitcher: Jackson (0-1)
Save: Magill (2)
Box Score – Click here for the box score and play-by-play narrative.
