Moon Rocs Eclipse Space Pigs In Back Half Of Doubleheader

The Moon Rocs split their doubleheader with Lehigh Valley on Sunday, losing game one, 4-3, but coming away victorious in the second game, 7-4. 1B Juan Yepez and C Brady Lindsly highlighted game one, including a solo home run from Yepez and a multi-hit performance from Lindsly. In game two, CF Alex Call and 2B Daren Baker led Rochester’s offense. Call launched his first homer of the year with a 3-run blast, while Baker logged a pair of hits and an RBI.

GAME ONE:

For the third time in the first five games, the Moon Rocs put up the first run of the game. 1B Juan Yepez launched his second homer of the season in the bottom of the first, a 372-foot shot into the visitors’ bullpen to give Rochester a 1-0 lead.

Lehigh Valley responded quickly, scoring three runs in the top half of the second inning. After loading the bases with no one out, 2B Scott Kingery lined a single into left-center scoring RF Jordan Luplow. CF Matt Kroon followed with a single of his own to left-center, bringing around 1B Nick Podkul and LF Cal Stevenson to extend their lead to 3-1 after one and a half innings.

Rochester started the bottom of the second with a walk from DH Carter Kieboom and a single to center field off the bat of C Brady Lindsly to set the Moon Rocs up with runners at first and second with no one out. SS Jackson Cluff hit a ground ball off the end of the bat, resulting in a fielding error, scoring Kieboom from second base to cut the two-run deficit in half. Rochester would tie the game up at three after a four-pitch walk to CF James Wood, loading the bases for Yepez. The Venezuelan native worked another walk, scoring Lindsly, tying the game up at three.

The score stayed the same until the top of the seventh when Lehigh Valley regained the lead. After a walk, a sacrifice bunt, and a fielder's choice put Nick Podkul at third base, Matt Kroon dribbled a ground ball to second base that allowed Podkul to score from third, making the score 4-3 Space Pigs. A diving catch by LF Alex Call in the left-center field alley ended the inning and preserved the Rochester deficit to just one run.

Rochester put a runner on first in the bottom half of the seventh but could not bring a run around to score, ending game one with a final score of 4-3 in favor of the Space Pigs.

LHP DJ Herz made his Triple-A debut in the first game of the Sunday doubleheader and recorded his first Triple-A strikeout against DH Kody Clemens in a clean 1-2-3 first inning. The former Chicago Cub farmhand ended his day with 4.0 innings pitched, allowing three earned on four hits while walking three and striking out two. RHP Adonis Medina replaced him to start the fifth inning and threw 2.0 shutout innings in relief. The right-hander allowed one hit and walked one batter while striking out one. LHP Joe La Sorsa came on in the top of the seventh inning, finishing his one inning of work by allowing one run and walking two batters.

The Diamond Pro Player of the Game honors for game one goes to 1B Juan Yepez. The Red Wings' first baseman finished the game going 1-for-2 with a solo home run, two walks and two RBI. Yepez has now recorded a hit and scored a run in four straight games for the Red Wings.

Rochester will look to seize a win in the second game of the doubleheader. RHP Spenser Watkins will get the start for the Red Wings and will face off against Lehigh Valley RHP Tyler Phillips.

Find the box score for game one here.

GAME TWO:

Following a scoreless top of the first in the back half of the doubleheader, CF Alex Call opened the bottom half of the inning with a walk and later advanced to third on a hit-and-run with DH James Wood, who flared a single up the middle to put runners at the corners. 1B Juan Yepez then grounded into a double play but scored Call in the process to establish Rochester’s lead of 1-0 after the first inning.

Lehigh Valley answered immediately in the second inning, started by a DH Jordan Luplow single and a RF David Dahl double. With runners on first and third, 2B Esteban Quiroz cleared the bases on a single, the Iron Pigs’ third straight hit of the inning. Rochester limited the damage but lost the lead, falling behind 2-1 after one and a half innings of play.

The Red Wings kept the offense rolling in the bottom half of the second when C Drew Millas and SS Jack Dunn recorded back-to-back singles and later advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. 2B Daren Baker followed suit with an infield single, scoring Millas on the play to tie the game at two. Rochester didn’t stop there, as Call took a sinker to the left field terrace for a three-run home run. The 375-foot shot was his first tally in the home run column of the season, pushing the Red Wings ahead 5-2 after two innings.

Rochester tacked on another run in the third inning. LF Jake Alu singled to right and was able to scamper to second on a fielding error. Dunn then chopped a grounder to third, which led to another error, allowing Alu to come around and score to make it 6-2 Red Wings.

A two-out rally allowed the Wings to further extend their lead in the bottom of the fourth. Wood hit a double to the left-field corner, and Yepez followed with a walk. RF Travis Blankenhorn singled on a looping line drive into right field, pushing the Red Wings' lead to 7-2 going into the fifth inning.

Down to their last three outs in the seventh, the IronPigs trimmed the Red Wings’ lead. LF Simon Muzziotti worked a leadoff walk and later advanced to second on defensive indifference. A groundout from C Jose Godoy allowed Muzziotti to move to third, and Stevenson finished the job with an RBI single. Stevenson then reached second on defensive indifference, and Lehigh Valley produced another RBI single, this time off the bat of SS Weston Wilson. The rally would ultimately be cut short, as 1B Darick Hall went down swinging, putting game two at a final score of 7-4 Red Wings.

RHP Spenser Watkins took the hill for the Red Wings to start the contest, hurling 3.0 innings. He allowed two earned on three hits while striking out three before LHP Tim Cate took over to start the fourth inning. The Connecticut native allowed just one hit across 2.0 innings and eight batters faced. RHP Rico Garcia entered the game at the start of the sixth inning and finished the game, allowing two earned on two hits across 2.0 innings.

The Diamond Pro Player of the Game goes to CF Alex Call, who smashed a three-run homer in the bottom of the second to give the Red Wings an early 4-1 lead, part of a 1-for-3 game two. His 375-foot blast was Rochester's second-farthest homer of the season, trailing only Juan Yepez (398 feet on 3/30).

Rochester takes Monday off before heading west to Buffalo for a six-game set beginning Tuesday. RHP Thaddeus Ward is slated to take the ball for Rochester, coming off 4.0 scoreless innings in his first Triple-A start. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m.

Find the box score for game two here.