On Saturday night at PNC Field, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (29-24) took on the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (19-33) in game five of the series.
Ricardo Sanchez (1-1, 4.41 ERA) was on the mound for the IronPigs, while the RailRiders started Ken Waldichuk (0-1, 1.74 ERA).
The IronPigs got on the board at the top of the first inning. IronPigs’ right fielder Dustin Peterson was up at-bat with the bases loaded and no outs. He grounded into a double play to RailRiders’ third baseman Armando Alvarez to get two outs, but a run scored, and the IronPigs led, 1-0.
Moving ahead to the bottom of the fifth inning, the RailRiders tied the game with one out. RailRiders’ left fielder Ender Inciarte hit a solo home run just inside the foul pole in right field, tying the game 1-1. IronPigs’ starter Richard Sanchez got the last two outs. That would be it for him as he went five innings, allowing four hits, one run, no walks, and seven strikeouts.
At the top of the seventh inning, the IronPigs regained the lead. IronPigs’ third baseman Yairo Munoz was up at-bat with the bases loaded. However, he was hit by RailRiders’ relief pitcher Trevor Lane, forcing in a run, and the IronPigs led, 2-1, with one out. Then, IronPigs’ center fielder Matt Vierling grounded into a double play that ended the inning.
At the top of the eighth inning, the IronPigs almost added another run. IronPigs’ second baseman Scott Kingery was up at-bat with runners on second and third base with two outs. Shane Greene was pitching for the RailRiders and threw a wild pitch, leading to Dustin Peterson attempting to score from third base, but he was caught for the third out.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Mark Appel closed out the game for the IronPigs. He got the last three outs, and the IronPigs won the game 2-1 and win the series with one game left.
The win went to IronPigs’ relief pitcher Corey Oswalt (1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 SO), while the loss went to RailRiders’ relief pitcher Michael Gomez (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SO).
The series wraps up tomorrow at 1:05 pm. Tickets for the game can be purchased thanks to our friends at StubHub and by IronPigs merchandise today at Fanatics.com.
