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Chiefs drop pair of games to Red Wings

Bernier's five hits lead Rochester in nightcap
April 25, 2013

The Syracuse Chiefs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, lost a pair of games on Thursday afternoon to the Rochester Red Wings. After Rochester finished off an 10-5 win in a suspended game that was resumed from Wednesday night, the Red Wings claimed a 10-7 win in the originally-scheduled nine-inning game.

Rochester (7-14) immediately broke open the suspended game, which resumed in the 11th inning with the Red Wings ahead 6-5. With the bases loaded and one out, right fielder Brandon Boggs slammed a three-run double against Chiefs right-hander Ross Ohlendorf, clearing the bases and putting Rochester ahead by four runs. First baseman Chris Colabello followed with an RBI groundout for the game's final run, with Red Wings reliever Tim Wood shutting down the Chiefs in the bottom of the frame.

In the second game, Syracuse (8-12) jumped on the board first against former Chiefs starter Shairon Martis. Jeff Kobernus and Will Rhymes picked up back-to-back singles before Jimmy Van Ostrand's sacrifice fly plated Kobernus, giving the Chiefs a 1-0 lead.

Rochester soon followed suit with a three-run third inning against Syracuse right-hander Yunesky Maya. With runners on second and third base and no outs, second baseman Ray Olmedo hit a sharp ground ball to third baseman Carlos Rivero, who made a diving stop. Rivero's throw home, however, was too low for Jeff Howell to handle, scoring Joe Benson to even the game. Catcher Chris Herrmann followed with a two-run double into the right-centerfield gap, putting the Red Wings ahead by a pair.

The Chiefs picked up a third-inning run thanks again to Kobernus and Rhymes, who each singled with two outs. Kobernus then scored from third base on a Martis wild pitch.

In the fourth inning, the Red Wings added another two runs against Maya. Shortstop Doug Bernier singled home Brian Dinkelman with one out - one of Bernier's five hits in the game. Benson scored one batter later on a second fielder's choice by Olmedo, putting Rochester ahead by a 5-2 score.

Rochester threatened to blow the game open in the sixth inning with another two runs against Maya. An RBI single from Bernier added the first tally, with Olmedo driving in his third run of the game immediately after. But with the bases loaded and one out, left-hander J.C. Romero rescued the inning by striking out Jeff Clement and inducing a groundout from Colabello.

The Chiefs would make Romero's work pay off, scoring five runs in the bottom of the frame against left-hander Caleb Thielbar. Rhymes walked to start the inning before Van Ostrand singled him to second base. After a Mike Costanzo strikeout, Carlos Rivero lined a ball into left field for a single, with Rhymes stopping at third base. However, left fielder Evan Bigley misplayed the ball, which went all the way to the fence for a three-base error. Both runners scored on the play, with Rivero taking third base. Shortstop Zach Walters followed with an RBI single to center field, cutting the Red Wings' lead to 7-5. After a Jeff Howell single put two runners aboard, right fielder Chris Rahl knocked a double down the right-field line, scoring both Walters and Howell to tie the game at seven.

That run, however, was the last one the Chiefs would score on the night. Rochester kept its offense alive in the seventh inning with a run against Romero, thanks once again to Bernier. With two runners on and two outs, the shortstop lined a 3-2 pitch into left field for a single, bringing home Bigley for an 8-7 lead.

The Red Wings would add single runs in the eighth and ninth innings. In the eighth, Clement scored from second base on a throwing error by Walters at shortstop. Bernier then completed his five-hit, four-RBI performance with a single to center field in the ninth inning, plating for Benson for the game's final 10-7 tally.

The Chiefs will look to earn a series split on Friday night at 7:00 against the Red Wings. Syracuse right-hander Ryan Perry is slated to throw against Rochester right-hander P.J. Walters.