The Lehigh Valley IronPigs (43-43) and the Charlotte Knights (37-51) played game two of a three-game series at Coca-Cola Park on Saturday evening. The IronPigs came into this game up 1-0 in the series and a win would give them the series win.
Earlier in the day, the Philadelphia Phillies recalled RHP Luis Ortiz from Lehigh Valley as they played a doubleheader on Saturday against the San Diego Padres.
Drew Hutchison (0-2, 9.15 ERA) was on the mound for Lehigh Valley making his sixth start of the season against Charlotte’s Sammy Peralta (3-3, 4.44 ERA).
The IronPigs struck first in the bottom of the second inning. Lehigh Valley third baseman Kody Clemens started the inning with a single. Two batters later with one out, it was Jim Haley’s turn to bat. During his at-bat, Kody Clemens stole second and third base.
Next, Haley grounded toward third baseman Yoan Moncada. Moncada spun around to retrieve the ball before throwing it to first baseman Nate Mondou for the second out while Clemens scored for a 1-0 lead. It was Haley’s 30th RBI of the year.
The inning ended when Rafael Marchan grounded out toward third baseman Yoan Moncada, who then threw the ball to first baseman Nate Mondou for the final out.
At the top of the third inning with two outs, Lehigh Valley center fielder Jake Cave made a terrific catch near the wall at center field for the final out of the inning. The wind was knocking down the ball and nobody hit a home run in this game.
Moving to the top of the fifth inning, Lehigh Valley pitcher Drew Hutchison gave up a single to Kean Wong with two outs. Then, Wong tried to steal second base but Rafael Marchan threw the ball to second baseman Jim Haley, who applied the tag on Wong for the third out.
Hutchison pitched a great game. He went five innings, allowing one hit, and five strikeouts in 83 pitches, of which 54 were strikes.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Jordan Holloway was the new Charlotte pitcher. He walked Jim Haley with one out with Rafael Marchan on deck. During Marchan’s at-bat, Haley stole second base, and a wild pitch moved him to third base.
Holloway walked Marchan with Jordan Qsar next. During Qsar’s at-bat, Marchan stole second base and Lehigh Valley had a chance to add more runs. Unfortunately, Qsar and Weston Wilson struck out which ended the inning.
Noah Skirrow was the new Lehigh Valley pitcher at the top of the sixth inning. He needed 13 pitches to get three outs, including a 4-6-3 inning-ending double play.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Nicholas Padilla was the new Charlotte pitcher. Padilla walked Nick Podkul with two outs, followed by a single from Kody Clemens which moved Podkul to second base. Scott Kingery was up at bat next; Padilla walked him.
The bases were loaded for Jim Haley. Haley worked the count to force in a run, and Podkul scored. It was 2-0 Lehigh Valley with two outs for Rafael Marchan still with the bases loaded. Marchan put the ball in play out to left field. The ball bounced once before going into the stands for a ground-rule double.
Kody Clemens and Scott Kingery scored for a 4-0 lead. It was Marchan’s second double of the season and 15th RBI of the year. In addition, the base hit extended Marchan’s hitting streak to seven games. Jordan Qsar had a chance to keep the inning going but struck out which ended the inning.
Moving to the top of the ninth inning, Noah Skirrow closed out the game. He got back-to-back ground outs from Adam Haseley and Lenyn Sosa before striking out Erik Gonzalez for the final out of the game. For the second straight game, the IronPigs shut out the Charlotte Knights by the final score of 4-0. They now have won three straight games.
Noah Skirrow pitched four innings, allowing four hits, and six strikeouts in 57 pitches, of which 38 were strikes for his first save of the season. For Skirrow, Lehigh Valley should move him to the bullpen permanently. Lehigh Valley put together another great game and they have won the series regardless of what happens on Sunday.
Lehigh Valley finished the night with six hits, four stolen bases, 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, and left seven men on base. Lehigh Valley pitcher Drew Hutchison earned his first win of the season. He is now 3-4 for the season including his stint in Buffalo, and Sammy Peralta lost his fourth game of the year for Charlotte.
Lehigh Valley has a chance to complete the sweep on Sunday against Charlotte at 1:35 pm on MiLB.com. Tickets for the game are available on StubHub and Viagogo. Also, pick up IronPigs merchandise today at Fanatics.com.
