The Rochester Red Wings managed just six hits and never recovered from an early deficit Wednesday night, falling 4-1 to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in a rain-shortened seven-inning game at Innovative Field.
The loss dropped Rochester into a tie with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre atop the International League's second-half standings with 10 games remaining in the regular season.
Early Home Run Sets the Tone
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre grabbed the lead in the opening inning when Max Schuemann connected for a solo home run to center field off Rochester starter Jack Cebert, giving the RailRiders a 1-0 advantage.
The RailRiders doubled their lead an inning later. Duke Ellis singled with two outs, stole second base and crossed the plate when Jarred Kelenic lined a single to center field,
making it 2-0.
Beck keeps Red Wings off the board
Rochester threatened in the first inning when Seaver King doubled and advanced to third on Trey Lipscomb's groundout, but RailRiders starter Brendan Beck escaped the jam with strikeouts of Buddy Kennedy and Cayden Wallace.
The Red Wings collected six hits in the game, including doubles from King, Lipscomb and Sam Petersen. Rochester went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded six runners.
Beck earned the win after allowing three hits over 5 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out six. Bradley Hanner and Yerry De Los Santos combined to finish the game for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
RailRiders Add Insurance in the Seventh
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre created separation in the seventh against Jake Bird. Ernesto Martinez Jr. drew a walk, stole second and scored on Ellis' two-run homer to right field, extending the RailRiders' lead to 4-0. Ellis finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs.
Red Wings Avoid the Shutout
Rochester finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh. Riley Adams opened the inning with a walk and Leandro Pineda followed with a single. After Maxwell Romero Jr. and Liover Peguero struck out, Petersen lined an RBI double to score Adams and cut the deficit to 4-1.
The rally ended there, however, as De Los Santos retired King for the third out. Petersen finished with Rochester's only RBI.
Pitching Breakdown
Cebert (0-2) took the loss after allowing two runs on four hits over three innings. Josiah Gray, Richard Lovelady and Erick Mejia combined for three scoreless innings of relief before Bird surrendered the two-run homer in the seventh.
Information gathered from milb.com.
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This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Red Wings lose sole possession of first after delayed defeat
