Red Wings Fall to Comets in Extra-Inning Showdown, 5-3

After capturing their 20th International League Championship in franchise history Thursday night, the Rochester Red Wings (2-2) were defeated in extra innings by the Oklahoma City Comets (3-1), 5-3, in the Triple-A National Championship Game. OKC scored a pair of runs in the eighth inning to tie the game and added three more in the tenth to pull away victorious. 1B Liover Peguero was 2-for-4 at the plate with a second-inning home run that put Rochester up 2-0. Nine Red Wing arms saw time on the hill in Saturday’s championship game.

Download the Red Wings Rewards app today, use code PartyLikeIts1997 for 25 extra points, and start winning exciting prizes! App Store | Google Play

Following two outs to start the bottom of the first inning for Rochester, 3B Cayden Wallace drew a four-pitch walk. He would race his way over to third after a single from DH Riley Adams. Three pitches later, RF Leandro Pineda knocked an RBI single to right field to score Wallace, giving the Red Wings a 1-0 lead after the first inning for the second consecutive game.

Rochester added another run in the next inning, thanks to a 454-foot moonshot from 1B Liover Peguero. The first home run of his minor league postseason career put Rochester up 2-0.

Both offenses would stay quiet for five innings, but it was the Comets this time breaking out for a game-saving eighth inning. The frame began with 1B James Tibbs III drawing a leadoff walk and advancing to second off a wild pitch. DH Mike Sirota notched an RBI single to score Tibbs III. A sacrifice bunt from CF Alek Thomas moved Sirota to second, with the latter scoring off an RBI double from 3B Ryan Fitzgerald. It was now a 2-2 ball game midway through the eighth inning and would remain that way through the end of the ninth.

The Comet offense stayed hot to begin extras, putting pressure on Rochester by racking up three more runs in the top of the tenth. With a runner placed on second to begin the frame, two walks loaded the bases for OKC with no outs. On the ensuing pitch, Alek Thomas ripped a bases-clearing double to put the Comets up 5-2.

The Rochester half of the tenth started with a nine-pitch at-bat from Cayden Wallace that resulted in an infield single, moving LF Trey Lipscomb from second to third. Riley Adams grounded into a double play that allowed Lipscomb to score. However, it wouldn’t be enough for the Red Wings, as they fell to the Comets, 5-3.

RHP Jack Cebert started the night on the mound for Rochester in his minor league postseason debut. In 2.0 innings, the 24-year-old struck out a pair of Comets and allowed one hit and walk a piece. First out of the bullpen was RHP Jarlin Susana, allowing one hit and striking out one batter in his 2.0 innings of work. RHP Joe Glassey walked one batter in the fifth inning. RHP Max Kranick recorded one strikeout and allowed one hit in 1.0 inning of his own. Coming on to pitch the seventh inning was RHP Erick Mejia, allowing one hit and walk each. RHP Eddy Yean entered to start the eighth inning, allowing two runs on a pair of hits and one walk while adding a strikeout. The seventh pitcher for Rochester was RHP Kyle Nicolas, who tossed a pair of strikeouts and allowed one hit in 1.1 innings of work. RHP Clayton Beeter came on to kick off extra innings, conceding three runs on one hit and two walks. The final Red Wing pitcher was southpaw Matt Krook, who struck out one Comet in 1.0 inning of relief.

The Rochester Red Wings Player of the Game is 1B Liover Peguero. The Dominican Republic native went 2-for-4 at the plate, highlighted by a solo home run in the second inning that gave Rochester a 2-0 lead.

While falling just short in the Triple-A National Championship Game, the 2026 Rochester Red Wings’ season was one to remember. This year’s squad finished with 90 wins, their most in a season since 1953 and good for the best record in Triple-A. They were postseason-bound for the first time since 2013, while capturing their 20th IL Championship in franchise history and first since 1997.

Find the box score attached HERE.

Don’t Miss Out on Rewards! Download the Red Wings Rewards app today to earn points, access exclusive content, and win exciting prizes. Start earning points for attending games, buying merchandise, and more! Use code PartyLikeIts1997 for an additional 25 points and unlock exclusive experiences and rewards!