STAFF REPORTS
The Rochester Red Wings edged the Toledo Mud Hens 4-3 Saturday night at Frontier Field. The series concludes Sunday afternoon at 1:35 p.m., where kids will have the chance to run the bases with Spikes and Mittsy following the game.
Both starting pitchers were effective early. Toledo starter Buck Farmer kept the Red Wings hitless through three innings, as Rochester starter David Hurlbut matched him with three scoreless innings of his own.
Rochester scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning when Kennys Vargas hit a ground ball to second base that allowed Matt Hague to score from third after he doubled and advanced on a wild pitch. The RBI groundout gave the Red Wings a 1-0 lead.
After Niko Goodrum hit a lead-off double and advanced to third on an error, Leonardo Reginatto contributed an RBI single to extend the Red Wings lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning.
An RBI single cut the Mud Hens’ deficit to one in the top of the seventh inning and made it a 2-1 ballgame.
The score became 3-1 Rochester in the bottom of the seventh inning when a Reginatto hit scored Goodrum for a second time in the game. After a John Ryan Murphy single put runners on first and second, Edgar Corcino contributed an RBI hit of his own, stretching the Red Wings lead to three.
Farmer was replaced following the Murphy single after throwing 6.2 innings, allowing four runs, three earned earns on six hits, one walk and four strikeouts. He threw 97 pitches – 59 for strikes.
Alex Wimmers came in to relieve Hurlbut to begin the top of the eighth inning. Hurlbut threw 7.0 innings, allowing one earned run on six hits, no walks and four strikeouts. He threw 90 pitches – 65 for strikes.
Wimmers ran into trouble in the top of the eighth inning after a leadoff walk and RBI single cut the Rochester lead back to 4-2. Murphy threw out a runner on a steal attempt, and Wimmers got a strikeout to end the rally attempt.
John Curtiss worked the ninth for the Red Wings, allowing a two-out single that made the score 4-3.
