Wings Roll Bulls, 12-8, in Series Opener

The Rochester Red Wings outlasted the Durham Bulls, 12-8, Tuesday night to earn their 10th series-opening win of the season. CF Derek Hill paced Rochester batters with four hits, including two triples and a five-RBI day at the plate, while Rochester notched its fifth game this season with three or more home runs.

The Bulls struck first tonight, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when DH Jonathan Aranda launched a solo home run over the right field wall. Rochester responded in the bottom of the second inning, tying the game at 1-1 when C Drew Millas smashed a solo home run, his second of the season. Durham retook a 2-1 lead in the top of the third inning when a groundout from 3B Curtis Mead plated 2B Vidal Bruján.

The Wings responded by tying the game at 2-2 thanks to a solo home run from 2B Jeter Downs. The long ball marked Downs’ second in three games after the righty did not launch a home run for 363 days. Rochester tacked on another run to give them their first lead of the night when CF Derek Hill scored on a wild pitch from RHP Nathan Wiles. Durham reclaimed a 4-3 lead in the top of the fourth inning on a two-run home run to left-center field from CF Greg Jones.

The Bulls added another run on a sacrifice fly out that scored Bruján to give Durham a 5-3 advantage. Rochester cut the lead to 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth when Hill drove in LF Jake Alu with a one-out triple, the Wings’ 15th three-bagger of the season. Rochester knotted the game following two walks when RF Blake Rutherford plated Hill on a sacrifice fly out to left field. The next batter, Millas, drove in 1B Travis Blankenhorn on an RBI double to give the Wings a 6-5 lead.

Rochester added on to their lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, extending the advantage to 8-5 when Hill plated two runners on an RBI double. The Bulls got two runs back in the top of the seventh inning on an RBI double from Mead and an error that plated him three batters later. An ensuing RBI double from C Blake Hunt brought in Jones to tie the contest at 8-8.

The Wings took the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning, hanging four runs on the Bulls thanks to a two-RBI triple from Hill, his second of the game, and a two-run home run from Blankenhorn, that gave Rochester a 12-8 lead. RHP Gerson Moreno came on to close the door on the Bulls and hand the Wings their 10th series-opening win this year.

RHP Wily Peralta started on the mound for the Red Wings, working two innings, allowing two hits and a run while striking out a batter. RHP Daniel Mengden entered first out of the bullpen, working two innings while allowing three runs. RHP Luis Cessa worked another two innings in relief, allowing one run while striking out two batters. RHP Andres Machado and RHP Rico Garcia (1-0, 0.00), making his Innovative Field debut, combined to work two innings, allowing one earned run while striking out three batters. Moreno completed the comeback win for the Wings with a scoreless inning of work.

CF Derek Hill earned Diamond Pro Player of the Game honors Tuesday night after going 4-for-5 at the plate with a double, two triples and five RBI. He became the first Wings hitter to collect two triples in a game since Andrew Stevenson did so on 4/8/2022. Hill’s five RBI are the most he’s driven in since 4/7/2019 against Trenton with Double-A Erie (DET).

Rochester will return to action tomorrow for the second game of their six-game set with the Bulls. RHP Jackson Rutledge will make his second start at Innovative Field for the Wings, with RHP Erasmo Ramirez on the mound for Durham. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m.

Find the box score attached here.