RailRiders and RedWings Split TwinBill
Rochester, N.Y. - The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Triple-A/New York Yankees) and Rochester RedWings (Minnesota Twins) opened a four-game series with a doubleheader split Saturday night at Frontier Field. The first contest went the way of Minnesota's top satellite when James Beresford's plated the go-ahead tally with a single in a 3-2 victory. Chris Leroux led the charge for the RailRiders at the backend, spinning six dominant frames in a 2-1 win.
The day's opening game saw Rochester flummox RailRiders' starter, Manny Banuelos, in the game's first inning. Pedro Florimon blistered a one-out home run to left that gave Rochester the lead. Back-to-back doubles by Chris Colabello and Chris Herrmann meant a 2-0 lead, but Scott Sizemore's two-run tater in the fourth brought that game back to sea level at 2-2. Pat Venditte allowed a double to Hermann to open the sixth before allowing Beresford's crushing RBI.
Venditte (2-5) took the loss, pitching three innings while being tagged for a run on two hits. Mark Hamburger, originally scheduled to toss the final game of Saturday's twinbill, pitched in relief. Hamburger (4-4) spun 1.2 innings and walked two batters and did not allow a hit in the win. Michael Tonkin (9) closed the door in the ninth, working around a walk and a base hit before striking out his final two batters faced.
The nightcap witnessed Leroux take to bump and hold the surging Rochester offense at bay. Leroux twirled six masterful innings of one-run ball, with his only miscue coming in the third when Florimon smoked a double down the right-field line to plate a hustling Beresford from first. The RailRiders' offense gave him all the help he would need. Zoilo Almonte gave the RailRiders their initial run in the second when the slugger lifted a solo home run to right, Almonte's team-leading 18th of the season. The final tally came when Corban Joseph doubled to right-center field with one out and took third on a balk by starter Virgil Vasquez. Carmen Angelini's groundball to short meant a 2-0 SWB lead that would hold serve.
Leroux (6-3) picked up his fourth win in his last five outings, spinning six innings and allowing one run while striking out six. Virgil Vasquez (1-1) tossed all seven innings and allowed two runs and struck out 11. Vasquez tossed 119 pitches and walked one, with 77 going for strikes.
The RailRiders continue the series against the Rochester RedWings Sunday, August 24 at 1:05 p.m. The RailRiders will toss the right-handed Zach Nuding (3-5, 5.70) while the RedWings send the right-handed Tyler Duffey (2-0, 3.00) to the bump. John Sadak and Aaron Berlin will have the call on radio with the pregame show beginning at 12:35 p.m. on NEPA Sports Radio - The GAME, Northeast PA's largest sports radio network: 100.7 FM, 1340 WYCK-AM, 1400 WICK-AM, 1440 WCDL-AM and 106.7 FM. For season ticket information, single-game tickets or to book a ballpark group outing, call (570) 969-BALL (2255) or visit swbrailriders.com.
OFF THE RAILS
Tyler Webb claimed his first save at Triple-A, spinning a scoreless ninth inning. The save was Webb's 12th of the season and first since an outing with Double-A Trenton against Reading (Philadelphia Phillies) on July 8. Webb leads the entire Yankees farm in saves this season.
Chris Leroux struck out six batters in six innings. The six strikeouts were the most with the RailRiders this season and most since he punched out seven in a win against the Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Indians) on August 27, 2012.
The game two win at Rochester's Frontier Field marked the RailRiders' first win in Rochester's home facility since a 10-7 win on June 19, 2013. That night, now New York Yankee reliever Dellin Betances notched the win.
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