Rochester Red Wings Game Notes - May 3 vs. Lehigh Valley
IL Rochester Red Wings

Rochester Red Wings Game Notes - May 3 vs. Lehigh Valley

Published on May 3, 2025 under International League (IL)
Rochester Red Wings News Release


Lehigh Valley IronPigs (22-9) vs. Rochester Red Wings (7-23)

Saturday, May 3, 2025 - 1:05 p.m. ET - Innovative Field - Rochester, NY

Radio: Fox Sports 1280/iHeartRadio TV: Bally Sports Live

RHP Devin Sweet (0-0, 4.82) vs. LHP Andrew Alvarez (0-3, 3.95)

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: In a wild battle that saw the lead change hands three times and both teams combine for 37 total hits, the Rochester Red Wings stormed back from a late deficit, rallying for three runs in the bottom of the ninth to force extras before walking off the IronPigs, 15-14, in the 10th...Rochester jumped out to an early lead with back-to-back home runs from LF ANDREW PINCKNEY and CF ROBERT HASSELL III, but saw the IronPigs chip away before erupting for seven runs in the ninth to take the lead...the Red Wings answered with a three-run surge of their own and sealed the win in extras with C ANDREW KNIZNER'S clutch two-run single, capping a roller-coaster afternoon at Innovative Field...

Rochester piled up 22 total hits in the victory, most in a game by a Red Wings offense since they erupted for the same amount against the same opponent on September 18, 2022...three Red Wings turned in four-hit games for the first time since 7/23/2019 against Norfolk (Drew Maggi, Jaylin Davis, Wilin Rosario).

IT'S REALLY NO HASSELL: CF ROBERT HASSELL III has now gone 8-for-9 over the last two games, after going 4-for-5 with his first pair of Triple-A home runs, three RBI, a walk and three runs scored...he is the first Red Wing to turn in a four-hit performance in back-to-back days since Eduardo Escobar on 8/11 & 8/12 in 2013...across his last eight games dating back to 4/24, the former first-round pick leads all Nationals Minor Leaguers with a .483 batting average (14-for-29), a .516 OBP, .724 SLG, and a 1.240 OPS...he also ranks second with 21 total bases...

The multi-homer performance was the third of his professional career, and first since 4/23/2022 with High-A Fort Wayne (SD)...he is the first Red Wing to hit their first two Triple-A homers in the same day since fellow outfielder James Wood, on 4/11/2024 at Buffalo.

Both of Hassell's homers (431 ft., 436 ft.) cleared the center field wall at least 430 feet away...he is the first International League player to launch two 430-foot shots in a game since Jhonkensy Noel did so with Columbus on 5/22/2024.

EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT: The Red Wings offense totaled nine extra base hits by the end of the scheduled nine innings last night, which included four home runs and five doubles...this marks the first time Rochester has logged at least nine XBH in a game since 8/24/2021 at Syracuse, and first time at Innovative Field since 7/23/2019 against Norfolk...all four homers traveled at least 400 feet to center field, the first time Rochester has notched at least four 400-foot shots since 4/21/2024 against Toledo...

With 22 total hits in the contest, the Red Wings batting average increased to .252 this season (244-for-970), jumping from the 14th to eighth-best mark in the International League in one game.

I THINK HE'S READY: Rehabbing Nationals RHP MICHAEL SOROKA made his third appearance on rehab assignment last night, and first with Rochester...the former 2015 first-round pick by the Atlanta Braves racked up 11 strikeouts across 5.0 innings of work on four hits, while issuing three walks...he is the first Red Wing to strike out at least 11 batters since Cory Abbott punched out a dozen on 4/28/2023, and the first to do so in 5.0 total innings of work since at least 2004...

Soroka logged a strikeout against all nine hitters in the IronPigs order, becoming the first Red Wing to do so since Wily Peralta on 5/10/2023 against Worcester.

COMING IN HOT: Batting out of the top two spots in the lineup, RF DAYLEN LILE and 3B BRADY HOUSE combined for seven total hits and four doubles (2 each)...House went 4-for-6 with a pair of RBI and runs scored, and Lile legged out three hits in five at-bats while working a walk and scoring three runs...this is the first time the first and second batters in the lineup have each doubled twice for the Red Wings since 6/11/2007 at Louisville, Alexi Casilla, Matt Tolbert, and Glenn Williams each picked up a pair from the top three spots in the lineup...

House has reached base safely in a team-leading 17 games dating back to 4/15, tied for the third-longest active streak in the International League...the Georgia native is hitting .323 (21-for-65) over the course of the streak, and is tied for fourth in the IL with 21 total hits over that span.

Lile has hit safely in 16 of his last 17 games dating back to 4/13 with Double-A Harrisburg...he carries a .355/.395/.592 slash line over that stretch across both levels.

PUCKER UP FOR THE KNIZ CAM: C ANDREW KNIZNER delivered the knock out blow with a two-RBI, game winning single in the bottom of the 10th last night...this was his fifth professional walk-off knock, and first since 7/7/2017 with Double-A Springfield (STL)...he is hitting a Minor League-leading (min. 50 AB) .418 (23-for-55) this season, and also leads all MiLB bats with a .547 OBP.

PINCK OF THE LITTER: Out of the fifth spot in the order once again last night, LF ANDREW PINCKNEY went 3-for-6 with his fourth home run of the season, a pair of RBI and three runs scored...the University of Alabama product has now turned in a multi-hit performance in three consecutive games for the first time since 8/5-8 in 2023, in his first month in professional baseball following the 2023 MLB Draft...

Pinckney has hit fifth in the lineup in 11 games this season, and carries a .350 batting average (14-for-40) with a .447 OBP and .972 OPS in those outings.

HOW CLUFF ARE YA: SS JACKSON CLUFF turned in his first first Triple-A four-hit game last night, and second of his professional career (5/26/23 w/HBG)...the BYU product went 4-for-5 with his first homer of the season and 10th with the Red Wings dating back to his debut on 4/7/2024 (G1)...the homer came off the bat at 106 MPH and traveled 421 feet, bringing the Red Wings to within one run in the bottom of the ninth...he now carries a .393 batting average (11-for-28) with a 1.042 OPS across 10 night games this season...

Cluff was caught stealing on the base paths after a single in the sixth, bringing his perfect 25-for-25 stolen base streak at the Triple-A level to an end.

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