Red Wings Surrender Early Lead in Loss to Bisons
IL Rochester Red Wings

Red Wings Surrender Early Lead in Loss to Bisons

July 2, 2025 - International League (IL)
Rochester Red Wings News Release


The Red Wings looked to take game two in Buffalo on Wednesday night after dropping the opener. It was a bullpen game for the Rochester pitching staff which featured six different arms coming out to toe the rubber. RF Nick Schnell blasted a two-run homer, and 3B Yohandy Morales accounted for the other RBI, but the Bisons bullpen kept the Wings' bats quiet and did enough to pick up their fourth straight win, 5-3.

Rochester wasted no time getting going Wednesday evening, scoring in the first inning for the second straight game. This time it was RF Robert Hassell III who laced a ball to first on the second pitch of the game that got past the first baseman, allowing Hassell to get all the way to third without a throw. DH Yohandy Morales then lined out to right field for a sacrifice fly, giving the Wings an early 1-0 advantage.

The Bisons had an answer in the ensuing half-inning, starting with a leadoff single from CF Jonaton Clase. He then swiped his 16th bag of the season later in the at-bat, before RF Joey Loperfido grounded out to first, allowing Clase to reach third with one out. Some aggressive baserunning from Clase on a comebacker to RHP Jack Sinclair off the bat of 3B Riley Trotta allowed the leadoff man to cross the plate and even the score at one apiece.

The scoring resumed in the top of the third inning for the Red Wings, starting with a one out walk by 3B José Tena. 1B Trey Lipscomb beat one into the ground while Tena was stealing to move him over to second. That left LF Nick Schnell up with one on and two outs, and he did not miss a pitch down in the zone, driving it out to right for a two-run homer, his sixth home run with the Wings this season to give the Red Wings a 3-1 lead.

Buffalo got in on the two-out scoring in the bottom half, started by SS Josh Rivera striking a single to left field. With two down, Rivera was in motion on a sharp line-drive double off the bat of RF Joey Loperfido. Rivera came all the way around and scored on the play, cutting the Rochester lead to one.

The Bisons took the lead with a string of hits in the bottom of the fifth. Joey Loperfido got the inning started with a single to right field, and came all the way around to tie the game when the next batter, 3B Riley Tirotta, doubled to center field. Tirotta's double began what would be three straight doubles for Buffalo, which brought two more runs home and made the score 5-3. RHP Marquis Grissom Jr. then rallied to record three straight outs and get out of the inning.

Right-hander Jack Sinclair took the hill for the start of Wednesday's matchup. Over 2.0 innings, Sinclair allowed one hit and one earned run without allowing a walk. RHP Michael Cuevas came in for the third inning, giving up two hits and an earned run. In the fourth, RHP Mason Thompson made his first appearance as a Red Wing this year as part of his rehab assignment. The former third-round pick loaded the bases with one out, but recorded two straight strikeouts to get out of the jam. Thompson ended with a line of 1.0 scoreless inning pitched on two hits, with three strikeouts and one walk. Marquis Grissom Jr. threw the fifth inning for the Wings, giving up three runs on four hits. Rochester held Buffalo hitless in the sixth, with rehabbing RHP Derek Law striking out a batter. RHP Carlos Romero closed out the game for the Red Wings, throwing 2.0 innings of hitless baseball.

RF Nick Schnell is your Red Wings Player of the Game on Wednesday Night. The left handed hitter went 2-for-4 with a two-run shot to right, good for both of his RBI, and a single to center later in the game. The Louisville product also scored a run. Schnell now has a combined 37 RBI and eight homers between Double-A Harrisburg and Rochester this season, second and third-most among Nationals Minor Leaguers, respectively.

The Red Wings are back in action tomorrow evening at 6:05 for game three of the six game set, the final one at Sahlen Field. It'll be RHP Chase Solesky for the Wings squaring off against RHP C. J. Van Eyk for the Bisons.

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International League Stories from July 2, 2025


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