Red Wings Rally Falls Short in Series Finale

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IL Rochester Red Wings

Red Wings Rally Falls Short in Series Finale

April 8, 2025 - International League (IL)
Rochester Red Wings News Release


In a high-scoring contest that yielded 27 total hits, the Rochester Red Wings fell short against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs Sunday afternoon, 12-8. DH Franchy Cordero connected on his first homer of the season, a two-run shot, and added another RBI single to bring his total to three. 3B Brady House extended his team-leading hitting streak to seven games, going 2-for-4 with a double, three RBI, and a walk.

Lehigh Valley kept their red-hot bats going early in the contest. After a quick first inning, RF Gabriel Rincones Jr. led off the top of the second inning with a line drive single to right field. 3B Christian Arroyo followed that up with a two-run home run launched well over the left field wall, making it a 2-0 IronPigs lead going into the bottom of the second inning.

The Red Wings answered immediately in the bottom half of the second. Franchy Cordero launched an 0-1 breaking ball over the right field wall for his first home run of the season and first as a Red Wing. Although Rochester had runners on first and third later in the inning, they could not capitalize, and it would end up staying a 2-1 game heading to the third.

The IronPigs added more run support in the third inning to tack onto their lead. DH Matt Kroon got the party started with an infield single to the hole in between the short and third. The former Oklahoma State Cowboy eventually stole second two at-bats later, and eventually came around to score in the same at-bat on a CF Justin Crawford single to left field. Rincones Jr. cashed in once again with a single to right field, bringing Crawford around to score. Rincones advanced to second on a subsequent fielding error. Arroyo expanded the Lehigh Valley lead with a single of his own to right field, scoring Rincones Jr. from second, making it 5-1 after the top of the third.

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The bats did not stop there for the IronPigs as they tacked on two more runs in the top half of the fourth. SS Rodolfo Castro got the offense going with a single to left field, followed by a Matt Kroon bloop double to right field, which moved Castro up to third. Justin Crawford struck again with a bases-clearing triple to right field, making it a 7-1 IronPigs lead after three and a half innings played.

The IronPigs continued to pile on the runs in the top of the fifth. Arroyo stayed red hot with another single to right field, and C Payton Henry joined the hit parade with a single to left field, which moved Arroyo to second. PR Rafael Lantigua entered to run for an injured Arroyo, and the next batter, Rodolfo Castro, worked a walk to load the bases for Matt Kroon. The Scottsdale, Arizona native laced a line drive single to left field that was deflected by the shortstop, allowing Lantigua and Henry to score and move Castro to third. Lehigh Valley took a commanding 9-1 lead after the top of the fifth inning.

Rochester cut into the lead in the bottom half of the fifth, pushing across two runs of their own. SS Nasim Nuñez reached on a fielding error and stayed put at first. The next at-bat, the Bronx native stole his fourth base of the year and moved into scoring position for CF Robert Hassell III. The former first-round pick laced a double down the left field line, bringing Nuñez around to score from second. Hassell moved his way up to third on a ground out, bringing 3B Brady House to the plate with a runner only 90 feet away from scoring. The Georgia native singled to left field, scoring Hassell, making it a 9-3 after five innings of play.

The IronPigs scored once again in the top of the seventh inning. LF Óscar Mercado led off the inning with a single to center field and stole second base in the very next at-bat. Payton Henry worked a walk to put runners on first and second. Rodolfo Castro then grounded into a fielder's choice, and the Red Wings took the out at second base, which put Mercado at third and Castro at first. With runners on the corners, Castro stole second during DH Cal Stevenson's at-bat, who eventually worked a walk to load the bases. 2B Otto Kemp would get the job done for Lehigh Valley with a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Mercado, while moving Castro and Stevenson up one base each. After six and a half innings of play, the IronPigs were leading the Red Wings 10-3.

Rochester turned it on in the bottom of the seventh inning, cutting into their sizeable seven-run deficit. Nasim Nuñez kicked off the big inning with a single to left field. Robert Hassell III followed up the single with a walk, putting runners on first and second for 2B Darren Baker. Last year's Most Popular Player for the Red Wings worked a walk of his own to load the bases for Rochester. Brady House cashed in on the opportunity with a ground ball double that was deflected by the shortstop, scoring both Nuñez and Hassell, while moving Baker to third. Power threat Franchy Cordero then came to the plate with two runners in scoring position, and singled to center field, scoring both Baker and House. The Red Wings tacked on four runs by the end of the half-inning, making it a 10-7 ballgame going into the eighth inning.

The late-inning magic from the Red Wings was quickly answered by the IronPigs in the top of the eighth inning. Rafael Lantigua worked a walk to get Lehigh Valley going with two outs. Óscar Mercado then reached on a fielding error by the third baseman, moving Lantigua up to second. After a pitching change, Payton Henry connected on a bases-clearing double to right field, scoring Lantigua and Mercado. The IronPigs were retired in the bottom of the eighth inning with a 12-7 lead.

The Red Wings would not go down without a fight in the bottom of the ninth inning. Brady House worked a one-out walk for Rochester, and C Drew Millas then doubled down the left field line. House stopped at third on the two-bagger, putting two runners in scoring position for 1B Juan Yepez. The Venezuelan Native cashed in with an infield single that scored House and moved Millas to third base. Although Yepez advanced to second on a defensive indifference call, the Red Wings came up short in this afternoon's contest, 12-8.

LHP Shinnosuke Ogasawara took the ball for Rochester in his second start of the 2025 campaign and second of the series. The Japanese native finished with 4.0 innings pitched, giving up seven runs, six earned, on nine hits, with two strikeouts, and no walks. LHP Garvin Alston entered the game in the fifth inning, tossing 2.0 innings, allowing three earned runs, on four hits, striking out and walking a pair each. RHP Chase Helvey came on in the seventh inning, pitching 1.2 innings, giving up two unearned runs without allowing a hit, with two strikeouts and two walks. RHP Joan Adon chased Helvey with two outs in the eighth inning, and logged 0.1 scoreless frame on one hit, with one strikeout and one walk. RHP Daison Acosta came on in the ninth, throwing a scoreless inning, while only giving up one hit.

Sunday afternoon's Player of the Game goes to DH Franchy Cordero. The Dominican Republic native went 2-for-5, with his first home run of the season, three RBI, and a run scored. Across 24 games played at Innovative Field as both a Red Wing and opponent, Cordero is hitting .351 (33-for-94) with four home runs and 18 RBI.

Rochester will take Monday off and look to turn things around as they travel to Scranton Wilkes/Barre to take on the Yankees Triple-A Affiliate in a six-game series beginning Tuesday. Red Wings RHP Chase Solesky and RailRiders RHP Erick Leal are slated to toe the rubber for the series' first game. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m.

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