
RailRiders' Pitching Handles Lehigh Valley
May 16, 2021 - International League (IL)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release
MOOSIC, Pa. - Led by a season-high 15 strikeouts from a dominating pitching staff, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders defeated the Lehigh Valley IronPigs 3-1 on Sunday afternoon at PNC Field.
Deivi Garcia got the start for the RailRiders and was terrific for the second straight outing against the IronPigs. The right-hander allowed just one unearned run on two hits in 5.0 innings, walking one and striking out nine.
In two starts this week against Lehigh Valley, Garcia did not allow an earned run in 10.0 innings, recording 16 strikeouts, two walks and allowed only five hits.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Chris Gittens connected for a leadoff home run. It was Gittens' team-leading fourth long ball of the year, and his second in as many days. He finished the game 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI while extending his on-base streak to 11 games to start the season.
After the IronPigs tied the game in the top of the fifth, the RailRiders re-captured the lead in the bottom of the sixth. The team loaded the bases with no outs against David Paulino, and a walk and a hit batter brought in two runs as SWB took a 3-1 advantage.
Brooks Kriske (1-0) worked around a hit and a walk in the sixth to keep Lehigh Valley off the scoreboard. Nestor Cortes turned in 3.0 scoreless innings to close out the victory and record his first save of the season.
The RailRiders bullpen has thrown 9.0 scoreless innings over the last two games, and has allowed only three runs in its last 30 innings since Sunday, May 9. Cortes has turned in 8.2 scoreless innings across three appearances to start his season.
POSTGAME NOTES: The game took 2 hours and 26 minutes to play, making it the fastest game of the year for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre... Gittens became the third RailRider this season to homer in back-to-back games, joining Miguel Andujar (5/5 & 5/6) and Derek Dietrich (5/8 & 5/9), who both accomplished the feat at Syracuse... SWB pitchers turned in a staff ERA of 2.00 in the six-game series with Lehigh Valley.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre has a day off on Monday before beginning a six-game series at the Rochester Red Wings on Tuesday. RHP Brody Koerner (0-0, 1.17) takes the mound for the RailRiders, while LHP Ben Braymer (0-1, 9.39) climbs the hill for the Red Wings. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., with coverage on the RailRiders Baseball Network beginning at 6:45 p.m.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre returns home to PNC Field on Tuesday, May 25 with a date against the Buffalo Bisons. For tickets and more information, call (570) 969-BALL or slide to www.swbrailriders.com/tickets.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Record:
9-3
International League Stories from May 16, 2021
- Six-Run Third Propels Jumbo Shrimp in Finale - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
- Franco Collects Four Hits, Bulls Fall to Shrimp 7-4 - Durham Bulls
- Red-Hot Knights Beat the Tides 13-6 Sunday - Charlotte Knights
- Saints Give up Eight in Ninth, Lose 8-3 - St. Paul Saints
- Eight-Run Ninth Inning Propels Iowa to Victory - Iowa Cubs
- Sounds Comeback Bid Falls Short in Loss to Redbirds - Nashville Sounds
- Miles Mikolas Stars as Redbirds Split Series - Memphis Redbirds
- Indians Win Series Finale in Walk-Off FashionÃâà- Indianapolis Indians
- Two-Out Rallies Lead Chasers to Series Win over Clippers - Omaha Storm Chasers
- Gwinnett Claws Back Again, Notches Series Win on Walkoff HR - Louisville Bats
- Strasburg Tosses 4 1/3 Shutout Innings in Wings 2-1 Loss - Rochester Red Wings
- Hot Start Not Enough as Indians Take Series Finale - Toledo Mud Hens
- What a Relief: Bisons Bullpen Day Produces 2-1 Win - Buffalo Bisons
- Mets Drop Series Finale to Red Sox, 7-4, on Sunday Afternoon in Worcester - Syracuse Mets
- Power Show Leads WooSox to Fourth Straight Win against Mets - Worcester Red Sox
- RailRiders' Pitching Handles Lehigh Valley - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
- Pigs drop finale in Moosic - Lehigh Valley IronPigs
- May 16 Game Notes: Iowa at St. Paul - Iowa Cubs
- Game Information: Indianapolis Indians (6-4) vs. Toledo Mud Hens (3-7) - Indianapolis Indians
- Memphis Redbirds Game Notes - Memphis Redbirds
- SWB RailRiders Game Notes - May 16, 2021 - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
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.
Other Recent Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Stories
- RailRiders Fall Despite Three Homers from Spencer Jones
- SWB RailRiders Game Notes- July 24, 2025
- RailRiders Go 12 to Beat Rochester
- SWB RailRiders Game Notes- July 23, 2025
- Rochester Ends RailRiders' Streak

