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IL Rochester Red Wings

Homer Happy Red Wings Win Series Finale in Worcester

June 9, 2024 - International League (IL)
Rochester Red Wings News Release


The Rochester Red Wings won the first two games of the series on Tuesday and Wednesday and dropped the following three before picking up an 8-5 victory Sunday afternoon to secure a series split. RHP Spenser Watkins turned in the longest start of any Rochester pitcher this season, allowing one earned across 7.0 dominant innings. Offensively, three Red Wings launched a home run, including one from CF Alex Call that highlighted a three-hit day at the plate.

After a clean first two innings, the WooSox started the bottom of the third with three-straight hits from CF Mark Contreras, LF Corey Rosier, and 3B Nick Sogard. Sogard drove in Contreras for the first run of the game, making it 1-0 Worcester after three innings.

The Red Wings struck right back in the top of the fourth after DH Carter Kieboom led off with a walk, and Alex Call lined a sharply hit single to left field. On the throw into second base, the ball trickled away and allowed both Kieboom and Call to advance to second and third with one out. C Brady Lindsly then hit a ground ball to second that scored Kieboom, and knotted the game up at one.

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Carter Kieboom started things off in the top of the sixth and smoked a single to left that came off the bat at 109.2 MPH. 2B Jackson Cluff drew a four-pitch walk to bring up Alex Call, who smacked a three-run home run on a first-pitch slider just over the left field wall to bring in all three Red Wings, his eighth homer of the season. After walking Brady Lindsly, the WooSox made a pitching change with 3B Erick Mejia coming up to the plate. The Dominican Republic native clubbed the second long ball of the inning, a two-run home run on a 97 MPH fastball for his second home run of the series. The Red Wings piled on five runs in the frame to take a commanding 6-1 lead heading to the bottom of the sixth.

The Red Wings kept slugging in the top of the eighth, as Alex Call led off with a walk to put a runner on base. Brady Lindsly joined the party as he jumped on a first-pitch cutter, sending it over the right field wall for his first home run of the season. With that two-run home run, Lindsly notched his third RBI of the game to make it 8-1 Rochester.

With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Nick Sogard singled to CF, followed by back-to-back walks from DH Masataka Yoshida and 1B Nathan Hickey to load the bases. Freshly called 2B Nick Yorke came to the plate and hit a Grand Slam to make the score 8-5. This marked his second home run of the series, as the WooSox continued to scratch and claw their way back into the game heading to the ninth.

With RHP Rico Garcia on the hill in the bottom of the ninth, Worcester went three up and three down, securing the 8-5 victory and a series split for the Red Wings.

Former Baltimore Oriole Spenser Watkins got the ball to start for Rochester in the series finale against the WooSox. The right-hander spun 7.0 innings of one-run ball on four hits while striking out six and walking two en route to his second straight win, the first time he's done so since his first two starts of 2023 with Norfolk. RHP Amos Willingham was the first out of the 'pen for the Red Wings. The Georgia Tech product logged 0.2 innings and allowed four earned runs on three hits with a strikeout and two walks. Rico Garcia came in with two outs in the eighth for the four-out save. The right-hander retired all four batters he faced while striking out three to close the game out for Rochester, earning his team-leading ninth save of the season.

The Diamond Pro Player of the game is RHP Spenser Watkins. The Arizona native finished seven strong innings of one-run ball to pick up his third win of the season. This was the first time any Rochester pitcher has pitched past the sixth inning this season and the first time a Red Wings arm has completed 7.0 innings since Logan Verrett went 7.0 full frames on 8/24 in 2022. He has now logged at least 4.0 innings in 11 consecutive starts for the first time since he turned in 12 straight from June 25 through September 26 in 2022 with Baltimore and Triple-A Norfolk.

Rochester will take Monday off to travel back home for a six-game set against Scranton/WB that begins Tuesday night. RHP Jackson Rutledge takes the ball first for the Red Wings in the series opener. The first pitch is set for 6:45 p.m.

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