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Double Dipping: RailRiders take two from ROC

RailRiders take opener from Red Wings 5-1, win night cap 11-3
Armando Alvarez went 3-for-3 with two home runs and four RBIs in game two of Thursday's doubleheader with Rochester. (Tim Dougherty)
By SWB RailRiders
September 9, 2021

MOOSIC, Pa. (September 9, 2021) – The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders swept a doubleheader with the Rochester Red Wings on Thursday night at PNC Field. The RailRiders won the first game 5-1, and took the night cap 11-3. Rochester took the lead two pitches into the game when Victor Robles hit a

MOOSIC, Pa. (September 9, 2021) – The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders swept a doubleheader with the Rochester Red Wings on Thursday night at PNC Field. The RailRiders won the first game 5-1, and took the night cap 11-3.

Rochester took the lead two pitches into the game when Victor Robles hit a leadoff home run against JP Sears. The lefty settled down from there and allowed just one more hit and one walk across 6.0 innings of work. Sears (3-0) struck out a Triple-A career-high eight batters and set down the final 14 batters he faced.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the first when Trey Amburgey smacked a three-run double to right-center off Luis Reyes. Estevan Florial added a two-run home run in the second to expand the lead to 5-1.

Following Sears’ stellar start, Ron Marinaccio struck out three in the seventh to close out the game one victory. The triumph was the third two-hitter of the season thrown by the RailRiders, and the first since July 1.

In the night cap, the RailRiders struck first when Armando Alvarez launched a two-run home run to left off Sterling Sharp in the bottom of the first. SWB extended the lead to 4-0 in the second when Socrates Brito stole home as part of a double steal and Max McDowell scored on a Brandon Wagner sac fly.

Brody Koerner allowed a three-run home run to Raudy Read in the top of the third which narrowed the gap to 4-3, but the RailRiders rallied for three in the bottom of the third on two home runs. Alvarez clubbed his second of the game, and Matt Pita followed with a two-run shot to center later in the inning to grow the lead to 7-3.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre blew the game open in the bottom of the fourth on a sacrifice fly from Alvarez and a three-run home run from Rob Brantly to take an 11-3 advantage. Alvarez had a monster game, finishing 3-for-3 with two home runs and four RBIs.

Brian Keller (2-2) went 2.1 innings in relief, striking out six and allowing only one hit. In the top of the fourth, Keller accomplished the rare feat of an immaculate inning, striking out three batters on the minimum of nine pitches.

Following Keller, Braden Bristo and Nick Nelson turned in scoreless innings to close out the win. Between the two games of the doubleheader, RailRiders pitchers combined to strike out 24 Red Wings batters.

Thursday’s twin bill sweep was the first time in eight doubleheaders this season that Scranton/Wilkes-Barre finished off a sweep.

The RailRiders continue their series with the Red Wings on Friday night at PNC Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. For tickets and more information, call (570) 969-BALL or slide towww.swbrailriders.com/tickets.