On Friday night at Coca-Cola Park, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs took on the Rochester Red Wings in game four of the series. The IronPigs are on a slump, but on this night, they battled back when it looked like they were headed for another loss.
Ricardo Sanchez (3-3, 5.23 ERA) was on the mound for the IronPigs, while the Red Wings started Anibal Sanchez (0-1, 6.14 ERA).
IronPigs pitcher Ricardo Sanchez gave up two hits and two walks in the first three innings. In the bottom of the third inning, IronPigs’ second baseman Scott Kingery doubled to left field. Then, Kingery moved to third base on an Ali Castillo ground out to Red Wings’ pitcher Anibal Sanchez, who threw the ball to first baseman Joey Meneses.
IronPigs’ center fielder Dalton Guthrie was next. He singled on a line drive to left field, scoring Kingery for a 1-0 lead. Then, IronPigs’ third baseman Will Toffey flied out to right field, but it was not deep enough to move Guthrie to second base. Guthrie stole second base during Johan Camargo’s plate appearance. Unfortunately, Camargo struck out to end the inning.
At the top of the fourth inning, IronPigs pitcher Ricardo Sanchez got Jake Noll to ground out for the first out. Then, Red Wings’ designated hitter Nick Banks doubled to right field, followed by a Donovan Casey single, putting runners on the corners. During Adrian Sanchez’s at-bat, Donovan Casey stole second base. On a 3-2 count, Sanchez doubled on a line drive to left field, scoring two runs that put Rochester up 2-1.
IronPigs pitcher Ricardo Sanchez got the second out when Matt Lipka flied out to right field with Josh Palacios up next. Palacios singled on a ground ball to right field, scoring Sanchez, and it was 3-1 Red Wings. Josh Palacios got greedy when he tried to steal second base, but IronPigs catcher Rafael Marchan gunned him down at second base when Ali Castillo tagged him for the final out.
Moving ahead to the bottom of the fifth inning, Scott Kingery reached first base on a fielding error by right fielder Donovan Casey, who could not make an easy catch after the ball hit his glove and popped out. IronPigs’ second baseman Ali Castillo moved Kingery to second base when he grounded softly to pitcher Anibal Sanchez and threw the ball over to first baseman Joey Meneses, bringing up Dalton Guthrie.
Guthrie hit the ball over left fielder Josh Palacios’s head that bounced over the left-field wall for a ground-rule double, scoring Kingery that cut the Red Wings’ lead 3-2. Next, Will Toffey struck out swinging, followed by a Johan Camargo walk, putting runners on first and second base. Finally, Dustin Peterson struck out swinging, ending the inning.
At the top of the sixth inning, Tyler Cyr replaced Ricardo Sanchez. Sanchez went five innings, allowing seven hits, three runs, two walks, and five strikeouts.
Tyler Cyr got Nick Banks to ground out to second baseman Ali Castillo for the first out. Then, he gave up a single to Donovan Casey and a double to Adrian Sanchez, putting runners on second and third base. Red Wings’ center fielder Matt Lipka was up next, and Cyr struck him out swinging.
Things got messy during Josh Palacios’s at-bat. He singled on a soft ground ball that rolled to first base as Cyr chased it but did not pick up the ball fast enough. He nearly collided with Ali Castillo. Palacios made it to first base and a run scored, extending Rochester’s lead 4-2. Then, during Ildemaro Vargas’s at-bat, IronPigs catcher Rafael Marchan tried to throw out Josh Palacios at second base, but Scott Kingery caught the ball and threw it back to Marchan as Adrian Sanchez scored for a 5-2 lead, with Palacios stealing second. Luckily, Ildemaro Vargas struck out on a foul tip caught by Marchan that retired the side.
Moving ahead to the bottom of the ninth inning, the IronPigs batters were walked three times but did not get any hits after scoring in the bottom of the fifth inning. Alberto Baldonado closed out the game for the Red Wings. First, Baldonado walked Scott Kingery, followed by an Ali Castillo single with no outs.
IronPigs’ center fielder Dalton Guthrie was up next. He crushed a three-run home run to the upper deck at left field, tying the game 5-5. Baldonado struck out Will Toffey for the first out. With one out, IronPigs’ designated hitter Johan Camargo doubled on a fly ball to left field. After a mound visit by the Red Wings, IronPigs’ right fielder Dustin Peterson was intentionally walked, and walking up to the plate was IronPigs’ first baseman Josh Ockimey. He singled on a sharp fly ball over Matt Lipka’s head at center field, scoring the game-winner for a 6-5 win.
The crowd erupted with cheers, and the team celebrated the win. It was a much-needed win to keep pace in the East Division. The IronPigs are now 44-38, and the Red Wings drop to 43-39.
The win went to IronPigs pitcher Nick Duron (1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO). It was Duron’s third win of the season, while Red Wings pitcher Alberto Baldonado (0.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 SO) lost his second game of the year.
The series continues today at 6:35 pm. Tickets for the game can be purchased at StubHub, and pick up IronPigs merchandise at Fanatics.com.
