Red Wings Collect 10 Hits, Even Series At One

After falling to the St. Paul Saints 15-9 on Tuesday, the Rochester Red Wings bounced back with a 7-5 win Wednesday night. This was their first win at CHS Field since St. Paul became a Triple-A affiliate in 2021, and first win in the state of Minnesota since 1955. Red Wings’ CF Alex Call and C Brady Lindsly each drove in a pair of RBI, while Call and 1B Juan Yepez each notched multi-hit performances to pace the offense. RHP Rico Garcia held St. Paul to just one hit in 2.0 innings of relief to notch his first save in a Red Wing uniform.

The Saints were able to claim an early lead in the bottom of the first, kicked off with a line drive double down the right field line from 2B Anthony Prato. The two-bagger was quickly followed by another from C Jair Camargo to center field that allowed Prato to score and give St. Paul a 1-0 lead.

The Wings responded in the top of the second inning, beginning with a walk from RF Travis Blankenhorn. An error on Juan Yepez’s single to center field allowed Blankenhorn to advance to third, bringing Alex Call up to bat with two runners on and no outs. The former Cleveland Guardian roped a low line drive to right-center field for a double, clearing the bases to give Rochester a 2-1 advantage. Two batters later, an RBI single off the bat of Brady Lindsly doubled Rochester’s lead to two runs.

St. Paul continued to apply pressure in the bottom of the third, when Prato ripped his second double of the night to left field. Two batters later, a two-RBI single from Camargo sent Prato home, trimming the Red Wing lead to 3-2.

Rochester continued to extend their lead in the top of the fourth, sparked by a ground ball single from Call for his second hit of the night. He then advanced to third base on a single from 3B Jack Dunn. This was followed quickly by a ground out from Lindsly that sent Call home and Dunn to third. The Georgia native came around to score when SS Jackson Cluff stepped up to the plate and hit a sharp line drive double to right field. The inning was closed out by a RBI single from 2B Darren Baker, leaving the Wings up 6-2.

After no answer from the Saints, LF James Wood opened the fifth inning with a double out to left field. He advanced to third on a ground out from DH Stone Garrett, and came around to score on an RBI single from Blankenhorn to make the score 7-2.

The Saints offense did not stay stagnant for long, as the bottom of the fifth inning began with a walk to Prato and a single from CF DaShawn Kiersey Jr. that sent Prato to third. However, Kiersey Jr. was subsequently thrown out trying to reach second. A batter later, Camargo rocketed a 112.8 MPH, 422-foot two-run home run, making him responsible for all four of St. Paul’s runs in the game thus far. Wings pitching was able to escape the remainder of the inning unscathed, sending the game to the sixth up 7-4.

After two scoreless innings, St. Paul cut into their three-run deficit in the bottom of the eighth. DH Chris Williams led off the inning with a walk, and advanced to third after a single from LF Tony Kemp. A ground out double play by SS Will Holland scored Williams, cutting the Rochester lead to two heading into the ninth.
Prato led off the Saints last at-bats in the ninth with his third double of the contest. Kiersey Jr. followed with a walk, putting runners on first and second with no one out. Rico Garcia left both runners stranded, striking out the next three batters in order to seal a 7-5 Red Wings victory.

RHP Spenser Watkins made his third start (5th appearance) of the season for the Red Wings, hurling 4.1 innings. The Arizona native exited in the fifth having allowed four earned on six hits while striking out four and walking two, handing the ball to RHP Adonis Medina to finish the inning. Medina went on to pitch 1.2 hitless innings, recording two strikeouts and one walk before RHP Luis Reyes took over to start the seventh. The right-hander allowed one earned on two hits across 1.0 inning of work, while walking and striking out a pair. Rico Garcia came on for the eighth and held St. Paul at bay across 2.0 innings, allowing just one hit while striking out three-straight batters in the ninth to collect his first save as a Red Wing.

The Diamond Pro Player of the game goes to CF Alex Call, who drove in two Rochester runs with a double in the second inning and collected a single, part of a 2-for-4 night at the plate. The 2016 third-round pick by the Chicago White Sox now owns the longest extra-base hit streak in the International League with four, and his four consecutive games with an RBI is tied for second-longest behind teammate Travis Blankenhorn.

The Red Wings look to take a series lead Thursday night in game three vs. St. Paul. LHP DJ Herz will start on the mound for Rochester, facing off against Saints’ RHP Caleb Boushley. First pitch is set for 7:37 p.m.

Find the box score attached here.