RailRiders Win Record-Setting 20-Inning Game
Moosic, Pa. - A travel day meant a brush with history. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Triple-A/New York Yankees) set a new franchise record with a five-hour and 26-minute game that ended with a Randy Ruiz walk-off homer for a 2-1 defeat of the Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers) at PNC Field. The RailRiders' 20th hit of the game concluded the game in the 20th inning. Eight RailRiders (51-54) pitchers combined on the triumph, with Jim Miller (1-5) getting his first win of the season. He and Josh Spence combined to retire the last 13 Mud Hens (46-61) that came to the plate. The RailRiders split their four-game series with Toledo.
Ruiz used a first-pitch swing for his 13th home run of the season while leading off the 20th inning against reliever Justin Souza (0-1). The game's only other runs came in the seventh. With two outs, Toledo's Mike Cervenak doubled and Danny Dorn followed with a high fly to right. Right fielder Cody Grice lost the ball in the heavens and it fell behind him for a run-scoring triple. In the bottom half of the inning, Grice bashed a hard grounder for a single off of Cervenak at third base and later scored on Adonis Garcia's single.
Each starter, SWB's David Huff and Toledo's Jose Alvarez, went seven innings. Huff struck out a season-high-tying seven while Alvarez scattered 11 hits.
The RailRiders travel to Louisville where an eight-game road trip and four-game series gets underway on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. SWB will toss right-hander Jose Ramirez (1-3, 4.45) against right-hander Daniel Corcino (5-11, 6.11). John Sadak and Andrew Kappes will have the call on radio. Pregame coverage gets underway at 6:35 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.
OFF THE RAILS:
Randy Ruiz went 4-for-9 in the game.
SWB left 18 men on base thanks in part to a 3-for-17 showing with men in scoring position.
Toledo turned five double plays in the game.
Six of the nine Mud Hens in the order failed to hit including highly-touted prospects Avisail Garcia and Nick Castellanos who went a combined 0-for-17 with seven strikeouts.
The contest bested a 19-inning, 5:13 do-or-die Game 5 in the 2001 playoffs against Buffalo. SWB won that game, 6-2, but lost to a Dave Miley-led Louisville team in the finals. It had to travel overnight from Buffalo to Louisville, and after a Game 1 loss, the series was called due to the September 11 attacks.
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