The Lehigh Valley IronPigs (40-42) played game two of a doubleheader on Wednesday night from Coca-Cola Park against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (46-36). Click here to see the results of game one. Lehigh Valley starter David Buchanan (5-3. 5.03 ERA) was on the mound against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s Matt Sauer (1-2, 20.25 ERA).
At the top of the second inning, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre had runners on first and second base with two outs when Kevin Smith hit an RBI single to left field scoring Brandon Lockridge for a 1-0 lead. A forceout by Oswald Peraza toward second baseman Jim Haley ended the inning.
At the top of the third inning, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre first baseman Agustin Ramirez hit Buchanan’s changeup for a solo home run clearing the wall at left field for a 2-0 lead. Four batters later, Buchanan loaded the bases when Jose Rojas brought T.J. Rumfield home with a sacrifice fly and it was now 3-0 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Then, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre left fielder Oscar Gonzalez brought Brandon Lockridge home with a sacrifice fly for a 4-0 lead. A forceout by Kevin Smith ended the inning. Buchanan (3.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 4 K) threw 68 pitches, of which 41 were strikes.
Jonah Dipoto was the new pitcher for Lehigh Valley at the top of the fourth inning. Dipoto (1.0 IP, 1 K) threw 12 pitches, of which 7 were strikes to get three outs. Nick Nelson was the new pitcher for Lehigh Valley at the top of the fifth inning. Nelson (2.0 IP, 3 K) threw 20 pitches, of which 14 were strikes.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Lehigh Valley had runners on first and second base when center fielder Cal Stevenson hit Yerry De Los Santos’s sinker for a two-run RBI double to center field scoring Ruben Cardenas and Nick Podkul. The score was now 4-1 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. It was Stevenson’s 16th double of the season and 31st RBI of the year.
Three batters later with two outs, Lehigh Valley left fielder A.J. Shaver hit an RBI single to left field scoring Cal Stevenson and the score was now 4-3 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. It was Shaver’s first RBI of the season.
Victor González was the new pitcher for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre replacing Yerry De Los Santos. Victor González walked Weston Wilson and Buddy Kennedy to load the bases for Darick Hall. Darick Hall worked a four-pitch walk and the game was tied 4-4. Lehigh Valley right fielder Ruben Cardenas grounded toward first baseman Agustin Ramirez for the final out of the inning.
Nick Nelson continued to pitch for the IronPigs at the top of the seventh inning. Nelson walked Jorbit Vivas and Oswald Peraza moved Vivas to second base with a sacrifice bunt but a fielding error by Nelson moved Vivas to third base and Peraza to second base. Nick Nelson was replaced by Max Lazar.
Two batters later, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre designated hitter T.J. Rumfield hit a two-run RBI single to right field scoring Jorbit Vivas and Oswald Peraza for a 6-4 lead. Two batters later, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre catcher Carlos Narvaez hit a two-run RBI single scoring Agustin Ramirez and T.J. Rumfield extending their lead to 8-4.
Two batters later with two outs, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre left fielder Oscar Gonzalez hit an RBI single to center field scoring Carols Narvaez for a 9-4 lead. Max Lazer got Kevin Smith to fly out toward right fielder Ruben Cardenas for the final out of the inning.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Lehigh Valley third baseman Nick Podkul hit a single to center field and Cal Stevenson hit a double to right field moving Podkul to third base. Art Warren replaced Victor González as the new Scranton/Wilkes-Barre pitcher. With Jim Haley batting, Warren threw a wild pitch and Nick Podkul scored. The score was now 9-5 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Next, Jim Haley hit an RBI single to left field scoring Stevenson and the score was now 9-6 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. It was Haley’s 21st RBI of the year.
Two batters later, Lehigh Valley designated hitter Buddy Kennedy worked a four-pitch walk with two outs leading the bases for Darick Hall. However, Hall grounded out toward first baseman Oswald Peraza for the final out of the inning. Lehigh Valley lost to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders by the final score of 9-6. With the loss, Lehigh Valley ends a five-game winning streak.
Lehigh Valley finished the night with nine hits but committed two errors. Lehigh Valley pitcher Nick Nelson lost his third game of the season and the win went to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre pitcher Victor González.
The IronPigs will now head to PNC Field against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on Thursday at 6:35 pm on MiLB.TV. Purchase IronPigs tickets for the 2024 season today on StubHub and Viagogo. Also, pick up IronPigs merchandise today at Fanatics and Rally House.
