Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon

Plates split twinbill with IronPigs

Wiel, Torreyes with multi-homer games
Zander Wiel celebrates the first of his 2 homers in Thursday's game one. Photo: Garrison Kuhl.
July 11, 2019

The Rochester Plates and Lehigh Valley IronPigs split a Thursday night doubleheader at Frontier Field. In the game one 13-5 win, Zander Wiel paced the Plates offense with a 4-for-4 game, including two home runs and seven RBI while Ronald Torreyes recorded two homers and four RBI. In the second

The Rochester Plates and Lehigh Valley IronPigs split a Thursday night doubleheader at Frontier Field. In the game one 13-5 win, Zander Wiel paced the Plates offense with a 4-for-4 game, including two home runs and seven RBI while Ronald Torreyes recorded two homers and four RBI. In the second game, the IronPigs jumped out to an early 5-0 lead and hung on for a 5-4 win - with Torreyes adding another home run. 
The teams meet again Friday night at 6:05 p.m., with gates opening early at 4:30 p.m. Fireworks follow the game, and Absolute Journey will perform a concert after the fireworks.

Game One:


Box Score: Click here for the box score and play-by-play narrative.
In the top of the first, Lehigh Valley gained a 1-0 lead off Plates starter Sean Poppen on a solo homer by Adam Haseley.
Rochester's offense battled back in the bottom of the first off IronPigs starter Enyel De Los Santos. Nick Gordon reached on an error to start the inning. After a flyout, Wilin Rosario recorded a single to put runners on first and second with one out. With runners in scoring position, clean-up hitter Zander Wiel plated Gordon and Rosario with his team-leading 23rd double of the season, giving the Plates a 2-1 lead. The Plates were not finished in the inning, as Jaylin Davis followed Wiel with a single. After a strikeout, Ronald Torreyes recorded his 6th home run of the year on a 383-foot shot into the Lehigh Valley bullpen in left field, extending Rochester's lead to 5-1.
Torreyes came into the game with 13 hits in his previous nine games.
After a quick top of the second inning by Poppen on the mound, the Plates continued their offensive tear in the bottom of the second. With two outs, Drew Maggi and Rosario hit singles. Wiel came up to bat again with a runner in scoring position. On a 1-2 pitch, Wiel ripped a 402-foot shot that cleared the left field foul pole, giving the Plates an 8-1 lead. The homer was Wiel's 14th of the season.
Poppen ran into some trouble in the top of the third inning, having runners on first and second with one out. The Harvard grad shut the door with consecutive strikeouts to end the inning.
Rochester tacked on another run in the botton of the third on Torreyes's second home run of the game, 9-1. The multi-homer game is his second of the season, also going deep twice on June 28.
Lehigh Valley scored two runs in the top of the fourth off Poppen, 9-3. Poppen threw two walks and hit two batters in the inning.
Rochester made a call to the bullpen in the top of the fifth, bringing in Carlos Torres. Poppen gave up four hits and two earned runs over 4.0 innings. He walked and struck out four IronPigs, throwing 97 pitches, 56 strikes. Lehigh Valley added a run on a sacrifice fly by Shane Robinson off Torres in the inning, 9-4.
Lehigh Valley countered Rochester's bullpen move with one of their own before the bottom of the fifth, bringing in Tom Windle. De Los Santos exited with 4.0 innings pitched, giving up 10 hits and five earned runs. He walked none and struck out four, throwing 90 pitches with 63 strikes.
The Plates continued their timely hitting in the bottom of the fifth inning. Wynston Sawyer and Torreyes started the inning with back-to-back singles. Two straight strikeouts put the scoring opportunity in jeopardy. Gordon stepped up to the plate and hit a two-RBI single to left-center, extending Rochester's lead to 11-4.
The IronPigs brought in Josh Martin to relieve Windle in the bottom of the sixth. The pitching change did not phase the Wings as Rosario started the inning with a single.
Wiel continued his hot night with his second homer of game one on a two-run shot to straight-away center field, extending Rochester's lead to 13-4. Wiel's seven RBI made him the first Wing since Justin Morneau to have seven RBI in one game (April 12, 2004). 
In the top of the seventh, Torres ran into some trouble, giving up a single and two consecutive walks to load the bases. The right-hander allowed only one run to score on a sacrifice fly by Mitch Walding, earning the win for the Plates.
Game Two:

Box Score: Click Here for the box score and play-by-play narrative.
The second game began after a 49-minute rain delay. Lehigh Valley's offense roughed up Plates starter Chase De Jong for three runs to begin the top of the first on a solo home run by Phil Gosselin and two-run homer by Austin Listi, making the score 3-0 IronPigs.
After the Plates went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the second, Nick Williams hit the second Lehigh Valley home run of the game on a two-run shot, extending their lead to 5-0 in the top of the third.
Rochester's offense broke their 0-7 drought to start the game in the bottom of the third off Lehigh Valley starter Ramon Rosso. Ronald Torreyes started the inning with a single. Jimmy Kerrigan followed with his second homer of the season, a two-run shot into the Red Wings bullpen, making the score 5-2. The Wings were not finished, as a Nick Gordon hit-by-pitch and back-to-back singles by Drew Maggi and Brent Rooker loaded the bases. Wilin Rosario recorded a sacrifice fly to center, plating Gordon to cut the deficit to 5-3. Jaylin Davis came up with a chance to either tie or take the lead for the Plates with the bases loaded. Davis struck out swinging to leave the bases loaded.
In the top of the fourth, Rochester reliever Ryan Eades came in to pitch for De Jong. De Jong finished with 3.0 innings pitched, giving up five hits and five earned runs. He walked one and threw 60 pitches, 37 for strikes.
Eades recorded a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the fourth for the Plates, giving Rochester the momentum in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Torreyes rocketed his third home run of the doubleheader on a solo shot to left to make the score 5-4 Lehigh Valley. The Plates had another opportunity to tie or take the lead with runners on first and third with two outs. Rooker struck out on 10 pitches to end the opportunity.
In the top of the fifth, Rochester made their second call to the bullpen in the game, bringing in Jake Reed. Reed recorded a 1-2-3 inning in the fifth.
Lehigh Valley brought in Frenando Salas to take over for Rosso in the fifth inning. Rosso recorded seven hits and four earned runs over 4.0 innings pitched, walking one and striking out four. He threw 87 pitches, 59 for strikes.
Ian Krol worked a scoreless seventh inning after Reed struck out four over two scoreless relief innings. 
MLB Network

THIS DAY IN RED WINGS HISTORY
2010 - D'Angelo Jimenez's pinch-hit bases loaded single capped a Rochester rally, giving the Red Wings a 5-4 win over Buffalo Sunday afternoon at Frontier Field. With a tie game in the bottom of the ninth, the Wings got off on the right foot, getting a leadoff single from Jose Morales. Two batters later, Matt Macri walked, moving Morales to second. Wilson Ramos then walked to load the bases with one out for Jimenez, who was hitting for Brian Dinkelman. Jimenez punched a single down the third base line to cap the comeback win. The Red Wings entered the All-Star break with a 33-59 record, only the third time in eight seasons (2003-10) they did have a non-winning pre-break record and the fifth time since 1983 that Rochester has won less than 35 games before the break.