IronPigs top Wings in home opener

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs defeated the Rochester Red Wings 13-6 Thursday night at Frontier Field, in the 2019 home opener. The teams meet again Friday night at 6:05 p.m.

The IronPigs got off to a quick start as three men crossed the plate in the top of the first against Red Wings starter Lewis Thorpe. Dylan Cozens hit an RBI triple after Phil Gosselin singled. Mitch Walding and Rob Brantley each added in an RBI single before the inning was over.
Shane Robinson's RBI single off Thorpe drove in another run in the fourth inning, for a 4-0 Lehigh Valley lead.
Rochester finally got to Pigs' starter Jerad Eickhoff, in the bottom of the fourth  Ronald Torreyes led the inning off with double, followed by a walk to LaMonte Wade Jr. In the next at bat, Luke Raley crushed his first Triple-A home run over the right field wall, to bring the Wings within one run at 4-3.
Lehigh Valley extended their lead, and chased Thorpe, from the game in the top of the fifth. Ryan Eades came on in relief with two men on base, and the Pigs tacked on three more runs, two charged to Thorpe, for a 7-3 lead. The Wings' starter worked 4.2 innings, giving up seven hits and six earned runs. Thorpe walked five, struck out five, and threw 92 pitches - 54 for strikes.
Tomas Telis responded quickly in the bottom of the fifth with a leadoff single. He went to third on a double by John Andreoli, and scored on a ball hit by Torreyes that was mishandled by Eickhoff. The run made the score 7-4 IronPigs.
Eickhoff pitched 5.0 innings, allowing five hits, four runs (three earned) with a walk and six strikeouts. Eickhoff threw 83 pitches, 54 for strikes.
After Eades was able to fire a scoreless sixth, the Wings were able to tack on another run. Wilin Rosario hit a leadoff single, followed by a double off the bat of Brent Rooker to put runners on second and third. Jordany Valdespin grounded out, allowing Rosario to come in from third, making the score 7-5.
The IronPigs picked up a run off reliever DJ Baxendale in the eighth inning, and the Red Wings countered with a run of their own in the bottom of the eighth. Rooker's run-scoring groundout brought Wade in to make the score 8-6.
Lehigh Valley scored five more runs in the top of the ninth to make the score 13-6. Four unearned runs were charged to Baxendale during the inning, and Mike Morin came on in relief giving up no runs or hits.
Raley finished 3-for-4 on the night with three RBI. Lehigh Valley out-hit the Wings 16-9.
Winning pitcher: Eickhoff (2-0)
Losing pitcher: Thorpe (0-2)
Save: Davis (1)
Box Score: Click here for the box score and play-by-play narrative.

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THIS DAY IN RED WINGS HISTORY
1979 - Behind Dave Ford's complete game effort, the Rochester Red Wings opened up the 1979 season with a resounding 13 to 1 win over Tidewater. Ford allowed only 1 run and 6 hits in going the distance, striking out 5. The offense hammered out 15 hits, as every starter rapped out at least one hit. Mark Corey had a HR and 5 RBI's, and speedster Carlos Lopez got on base 3 times to spearhead the Wings attack. The Wings were up 3 to 0, and with the help of an 8-run outburst in the 5th inning, the Wings cruised on to the victory.
1994 - Rochester scored four runs in the first inning, then never looked back as they beat the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons 8-1 at Lackawanna County Stadium. Pitcher Jason Satre was impressive in his first start of the season, allowing one earned run in seven innings of work.
2015 - Josmil Pinto had both Red Wings hits - including a two-out, walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth - to lead the Wings to a 2-0 win over the Buffalo Bisons Saturday afternoon, on Opening Day at Frontier Field.
2017- Aaron Slegers fired six no-hit innings in his Triple-A debut before Buffalo recorded its first hit with two outs in the 8th inning as the Rochester Red Wings topped the Bisons 5-0 Tuesday afternoon at Coca-Cola Field.
THIS DAY IN INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE HISTORY
1997 - On a frosty night in upstate New York, 13,227 fans pack Frontier Field as a new chapter in Rochester baseball history begins. After calling Silver Stadium their home for 68 years, the Red Wings move into their new park for the 1997 campaign. Despite a 25-minute delay in the 1st inning caused by a faulty pitcher's mound, the new stadium opens to rave reviews. The fans love everything on the first night, except for the play of their Red Wings. After building a 5-0 lead through the first six innings, the Rochester bullpen fails to hold it. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre comes storming back, ultimately pulling ahead on a three-run double by Rob Butler in the 8th and winning 8-5. Rochester fans would have better days ahead though, as Marv Foley's club went on to an 83-58 record and the Governors' Cup Championship in Frontier Field's first season.