PawSox Big Inning Proves Costly for Pigs

PAWTUCKET, RI - With the help of an eight-run, home-half of the fifth inning, the Red Sox of Pawtucket powered past the Pigs 9-4 in a rain-shortened, eight-inning game on a cold, wet night in Rhode Island.

It was a promising start for Lehigh Valley (1-1), looking very similar to Thursday night's victory, as Dave Drundage's team got off to an early 4-0 lead, helped by another C Cameron Rupp (1-3, HR, 3 RBI) homerun -- this one of the 3-run variety - but the tide quickly turned as the rain began to fall in the fifth inning.

IronPigs starter RHP Barry Enright (4ip, 5 h, 4 er, 2 bb, 4 k) entered the fifth inning with four scoreless under his belt, but left without recording another out; allowing two runs to score and on the hook for two more. RHP Kyle Simon (0.1 ip, 2 h, 4 er, 2 bb) then entered the game, making his Triple-A debut; and threw a wild pitch to the first batter he faced, allowing a run to score from third, tying the game at 3-3, and the PawSox comeback was on. Pawtucket would go on to score five more runs in the inning, four runs each credited to Enright and Simon in the frame.

The host team would later add a single run in the bottom of the sixth inning, stretching the Red Sox lead to 9-4 where it would stay until the game was called due to rain entering the bottom half of the eighth.

Sal Rende's offense showed their capability to play small ball as well as hit the long ball in a third inning that saw all four IronPigs' runs. OF Clete Thomas scored the first run of the game on a SS Ronny Cedeno single after getting himself into scoring position with a walk and a steal of second base. Four batters later, Cedeno (1-2, RBI, 2 bb) and Reid Brignac (1-3, 2B) were knocked in by the second round-tripper in as many days off the bat of Cameron Rupp.

The IronPigs catcher has been doing major damage to this point in the young season, with Rupp now leading all LHV hitters with 4 RBI and having both LHV homeruns. The IronPigs offense has now tallied 14 hits in two games, including eight that have gone for extra bases, with 1B Jim Murphy leading the way with 3 extra-base hits (2 2B, 3B) and a .444 batting average (4-9).

With the series now split a game apiece, the teams will take the field again Saturday afternoon at 1:05 p.m., with RHP Sean O'Sullivan making his IronPigs debut against 2013 International League All-Star Rubby De La Rosa.