Hassell III’s Four-Hit Game Powers Red Wings Past IronPigs  

Hassell III’s Four-Hit Game Powers Red Wings Past IronPigs

Ortiz goes deep, Yean notches first save as a Red Wing

In the first game of 2026 between the Rochester Red Wings (5-5) and Lehigh Valley (7-3), the Red Wings survived a late IronPigs rally to win the series opener, 10-8. RF Robert Hassell III notched four hits for the sixth time in his professional career to pace the offense. DH Abimelec Ortiz launched his first home run as a Red Wing in the third, a three-run shot that proved to be the difference in the ballgame.

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Rochester broke through in the top of the third after C Riley Adams worked a walk and 3B Yohandy Morales reached on a sharp single to the left side. A throwing error on the play allowed Adams to move up to third and Morales to take second, setting the table for LF Christian Franklin with two outs. Franklin then lined a two-run single into center field, scoring both runners and giving the Red Wings an early 2-0 lead. Rochester’s big third inning continued as CF Dylan Crews singled to right, moving Franklin to third. With runners on the corners, DH Abimelec Ortiz hammered a three run shot to deep right center on a full count slider, traveling 380 feet over the right field wall. The blast, Ortiz’s first of the season, capped a five run inning, giving the Red Wings an early 5-0 advantage.

Lehigh Valley responded in the third with a brief rally. 2B Sergio Alcántara drew a one-out walk, then SS Christian Cairo lined a single to right, moving Alcántara to third and putting runners at the corners. LF Felix Reyes followed with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Alcántara and putting Lehigh Valley on the board. The run cut into Rochester’s lead and made it 5-1, as the IronPigs capitalized without an extra-base hit.

Rochester added another run at the top of the fourth without recording a hit, using patience at the plate to force Lehigh Valley into trouble. RF Robert Hassell III opened the inning with a sharp single, and Riley Adams followed by drawing a walk to put two aboard with nobody out. After a pitching change, 2B Phillip Glasser worked another free pass to load the bases, and two batters later, DH Harry Ford drew a bases-loaded walk to bring Hassell III home and extend the Red Wings’ 6-1 lead.. Rochester kept the pressure on, as Dylan Crews laced an RBI infield single the other way, allowing Adams to score the Red Wings seventh run.

Rochester kept the line moving in the top of the fifth and added another run with a patient two-out sequence. Robert Hassell III started the rally with a leadoff single, and Riley Adams followed with a base hit of his own to move Hassell III to third. After Yohandy Morales worked a walk to load the bases, Phillip Glasser drew another free pass to force in Hassell and extend the Red Wings’ lead to 8-1.

Lehigh Valley chipped away in the seventh inning. DH Caleb Rickets led off with a soft single into shallow center. CF Pedro Leon followed by pulling a sharp single into left, advancing Ricketts to second. 1B Liouver Peguro then drove a two-run double down the left field line, plating both runners and cutting Rochester’s lead to 8-3. SS Christian Cairo grounded to shortstop and reached on a fielder’s choice that allowed another run to score, making the score 8-4. LF Felix Reyes then dropped a soft liner into shallow right that barely made it over the head of the retreating second baseman for a single. This moved Cairo to third and put runners on the corners. RF Bryan De La Cruz then singled sharply to right, allowing Cairo to cross the plate and trim the deficit to 8-5.

Rochester found another insurance run in the top of the eighth. Harry Ford opened the inning with a single to right, and Abimelec Ortiz followed with a sharply hit base knock of his own to put runners on the corners with one out. A wild pitch in the ensuing at-bat allowed Ford to cross the plate and increase the Red Wings lead to 9-5. Robert Hassell III followed with a two-out RBI double, delivering the Wings’ 10th run of the ballgame.

Lehigh Valley mounted one last rally in the bottom of the ninth. Sergio Alcántara and Christian Cairo led off the inning with back-to-back walks, bringing Felix Reyes to the plate. The right-handed hitter doubled to left, scoring Alcántara and sending Cairo to third as the IronPigs narrowed Rochester’s lead to four. ​​After a pitching change, C Garrett Stubbs hit a grounder to first for a productive out, bringing in Cairo and advancing Reyes to third. Lehigh Valley narrowed the lead with another groundout, this time from Bryan De La Cruz. A routine groundout ended the IronPigs hopes, and secured a 10-8 victory for Rochester in the series opener.

RHP Riley Cornelio made his second start of the season Tuesday night. The Honolulu, Hawaii native worked through 5.0 full innings, allowing one earned on three hits while striking out six and walking one. Cornelio was credited with the victory, the 20th of his professional career. LHP Zach Penrod covered the sixth, allowing four earned on four hits with a pair of strikeouts and a walk. RHP Jack Sinclair and RHP Julian Fernández logged a scoreless seventh and eighth, respectively, and LHP Erik Tolman took the ball to start the ninth. The southpaw was unable to record an out, and allowed three earned on one hit with a pair of walks. RHP Eddy Yean entered with a pair of runners aboard, and retired all three batters he faced on four pitches to log his first save since August 15, 2025.

LF Robert Hassell III receives the honor of Player of the Game Tuesday night. The former San Diego Padres first-rounder picked up four hits at the plate, going 4-for-5 with a double, three singles, an RBI and two runs scored. Across eight games played at Coca-Cola Park in his professional career, Hassell III is hitting .543 (19-for-35) with six extra-base hits (2 HR, 4 2B), an .819 slugging percentage and 1.448 OPS.

Rochester looks to take a 2-0 series lead against Philadelphia’s top affiliate Wednesday night. LHP Andrew Alvarez is slated to toe the rubber for the Red Wings against veteran IronPigs RHP Zack Wheeler. The first pitch is once again slated for 6:35 p.m.

Find the box score attached HERE.

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