IL1 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

Refsnyder Caps Furious Rally with Walk-Off Home Run

Published on July 4, 2014 under International League (IL1)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


Moosic, Pa. - On a night the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Triple-A/New York Yankees) did not know a lead until the very end, second baseman Rob Refsnyder sent a capacity crowd of 10,000 strong at PNC Field home happy, capping a furious ninth-inning comeback win with a three-run home run that propelled the RailRiders (42-46) to a thrilling 7-6 win Friday night.

The RailRiders' fate seemed forthcoming. The Herd built a monstrous four-run lead off SWB starter Joel De La Cruz in the first two innings. Back-to-back run-scoring knocks by Dan Johnson and Erik Kratz assembled a 2-0 advantage in the first, before Cory Aldridge's two-run jack in the second made it 4-0 in favor of the visiting nine.

The spirited RailRiders had a response, first avoiding the shutdown frame in the second with three-straight extra-base hits. Kyle Roller ignited the scoring, legging out a hustle double before plating the SWB's first run on Scott Sizemore's double to deep center. John Ryan Murphy helped hang the crooked number by threading an extra-base hit to left that cut the lead in half at 4-2.

Buffalo tagged De La Cruz for another tally in the fourth, this time in the form of a majestic solo homer by Ryan Schimpf that swelled the lead to 5-2.

De La Cruz departed after firing 1-2-3 fourth in favor a trio of bullpen arms. Pat Venditte worked a scoreless fifth and sixth, dancing around hits in each frame before handing the baton off to Danny Burawa in the seventh. The talented right-hander retired six of his seven batters faced via the strikeout to get the RailRiders through the eighth.

Roller made sure a leadoff single by Refsnyder in the eighth did not go to waste, launching an RBI double to center to bring the RailRiders within two. SWB plated another run on a single by Sizemore that drew the contest to 5-4.

Trailing by one heading into the final frame, reliever Jose Ramirez walked the bases loaded and allowed a run on a wild pitch that setup the RailRiders' ninth-inning theatrics. Steve Delabar struck out his first two batters before a two-out triple by Carmen Angelini kept the frame alive. Delabar bruised Jose Pirela with a ball to the hands to put runners at first and third before Refsnyder finished the charge with his three-run home run in the ninth.

The RailRiders conclude the series with the Bisons Saturday, July 5 at 7:05 p.m. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre sends right-hander Bruce Billings (4-5, 5.31) to the hill, while Buffalo counters with righty Aaron Sanchez (0-1, 4.43). John Sadak and Aaron Berlin will have the call on radio with the pregame show beginning at 6:35 p.m. on NEPA Sports Radio -The GAME, Northeast PA's largest radio network: 100.7 FM, 1340 WYCK-AM, 1400 WICK-AM, 1440 WCDL-AM and 106.7 FM. For season ticket information, single-game tickets or to book a ballpark group outing, call (570) 969-BALL (2255) or visit swbrailirders.com. OFF THE RAILS:

Rob Refsnyder's three-run home run snapped a four-game home losing skid for SWB. The win marked the club's first home victory since a 5-4 victory over Pawtucket on June 22. The home run also gave the RailRiders their fourth walk-off victory of the season and the team's first since an 11-inning triumph over the Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays) on May 11.

Adonis Garcia went 1-for-4 with three strikeouts Friday night against Buffalo. Since returning from the disabled list Garcia is just 2-for-9 with five strikeouts.

Danny Burawa fanned six of his seven batters faced Friday night to record career-high six strikeouts. Burawa's previous high-water mark had been five punchouts, which he had accomplished twice with the last such occurrence coming April 13, 2013 against the Richmond Flying Squirrels (Double-A/San Francisco Giants).

SWB improved to 6-4 this season against the Herd, including taking the last two games between the two clubs.

Check out the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Statistics

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



International League Stories from July 4, 2014


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