Crews, Champlain Lead Red Wings Past WooSox in Series Finale
IL Rochester Red Wings

Crews, Champlain Lead Red Wings Past WooSox in Series Finale

Published on May 3, 2026 under International League (IL)
Rochester Red Wings News Release


In the series finale against the Worcester Red Sox (18-14), the Rochester Red Wings (16-17) evened the series with a 6-3 win on Sunday afternoon. RHP Chandler Champlain allowed only one run in his 6.0-inning shift, as the Red Wings' offense made the game plan clear right out of the gate: get the bats rolling early. CF Dylan Crews led the way with two runs scored and a big homer in the bottom of the sixth. LF Christian Franklin and DH Yohandy Morales also turned in multi-hit performances, and RHP Julian Fernández locked down his second save of the season with his ninth consecutive hitless appearance.

The Red Wings' offense wasted no time in the bottom of the first, as Christian Franklin hit a leadoff single to right field on a 1-0 pitch. He then promptly stole second on the first pitch of the next at-bat. A pop fly moved him to third, and Dylan Crews scored Franklin with a single that slid past Worcester's shortstop. The WooSox managed to escape the inning without any further damage, keeping the Wings' lead at 1-0.

The WooSox responded in the top of the fourth. 2B Vinny Capra blasted a ball to deep left field that hit off the wall, allowing him to reach second for a double. After a flyout, 3B Anthony Seigler singled over the head of the second baseman on a 2-1 sinker, scoring Capra and tying the game at one.

Shortly after, Yohandy Morales singled on the first pitch of the bottom of the fourth. A pop out then brought 1B Abimelec Ortiz to the plate. The lefty bat continued his hot streak with a single on a 1-1 slider to right center field, which sent Morales to third. RF Andrew Pinckney then hit a ground ball to the shortstop, but was able to reach first safely on a fielder's choice, scoring Morales and putting the Wings back in the lead, 2-1.

After a scoreless fifth inning on both sides, Rochester's offense was given a jolt from a 111 MPH Dylan Crews solo shot to left field. Yohandy Morales followed this up by continuing his hot hand with a line drive single to right field. The WooSox attempted to stop the bleeding with a double play, but were dealt with more firepower from Rochester as Andrew Pinckney sent himself and OF Levi Jordan home with a two-run homer that bounced on the pitch clock, extending their lead to 5-1.

After Chandler Champlain's day at the mound concluded, Worcester responded with men at first and third after 3B Anthony Seigler launched a double to left field, and a DH Mikey Romero single followed that up with a single in the same direction. Seigler was able to score on a sacrifice fly to center field, but RHP Jackson Rutledge and the Red Wings' defense were able to get out of a potential Red Sox rally shortly after.

After a pitching change for the Red Wings in the eighth, the WooSox cut the lead to two after a sacrifice fly, sending LF Braiden Ward home to score. A strikeout kept the lead at 5-3 in favor of the Wings heading to the bottom of the eighth.

Rochester's offense was able to provide breathing room in the ensuing half-inning, as 3B Trey Lipscomb was able to sneak an RBI double down the right field line, sending Levi Jordan home to extend their lead to 6-3.

RHP Julian Fernández and the Red Wings defense closed out the series at the top of the ninth, sealing their three-run win over Worcester to secure a series split.

Right-hander Chandler Champlain started his fourth game of the season (6th appearance) today for the Red Wings. The fifth-year Southern California native picked up his second consecutive victory after turning in 6.0 strong innings. Champlain allowed only one run on three hits, while striking out four and walking one. Jackson Rutledge came in for his 13th appearance of the season and was replaced by Julian Fernández after 1.1 innings of work, allowing two runs on four hits with a pair of strikeouts. Fernandez, the former Los Angeles Dodger, locked down his second save of the season, not allowing a hit with two strikeouts, both on changeups.

CF Dylan Crews is your Rochester Red Wings Player of the Game for the final game in the series. Crews went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. The home run was Crews' fourth of the season, all of them inside ESL Ballpark.

Rochester will travel to Syracuse (18-14) this upcoming week for their first six-game series beginning Tuesday at 6:35 P.M. The Red Wings came away with a 4-2 record at NBT Bank Stadium a season ago.

Check out the Rochester Red Wings Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



International League Stories from May 3, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central