IL1 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

SWB Game Notes

Published on August 17, 2018 under International League (IL1)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


NORFOLK TIDES (64-57) vs. CRANTON/WILKES-BARRE RAILRIDERS (63-58)

LHP Luis Ysla (0-1, 1.80) vs. RHP Mike King (1-0, 1.98)

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| Game No. 122 | August 17, 2018 | PNC Field | Moosic, PA |

| First Pitch 7:05 p.m. | Pregame Show 6:35 p.m. |

LAST TIME OUT: The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders erased three separate Norfolk Tides leads on Thursday night at PNC Field, but fell 7-4 in 10 innings. Norfolk took the lead one pitch into the game when Mike Yastrzemski connected for a solo home run against Chance Adams. They expanded the lead to 2-0 on a bases-loaded walk drawn by Yastrzemski. SWB retaliated in the bottom of the second against Mountain Top, Pa. native and former RailRider Matt Wotherspoon. Gio Urshela led off with a triple and scored two batters later on a Wilkin Castillo double. Devyn Bolasky followed with an RBI single to even the score at 2-2.

The Tides regained the lead in the top of the fourth, when Garabez Rosa led off the frame with a solo home run. Adams allowed three runs on seven hits in 5.1 innings of work, walking four and striking out one. He gave way to Stephen Tarpley who turned in 2.2 scoreless frames out of the bullpen. In the bottom of the eighth, back-to-back one-out singles from Zack Zehner and Wilkin Castillo got a rally started against D.J. Snelten. After Bolasky grounded into a fielder's choice and Ricky Surum walked the bases were loaded. Tyler Wade fought to work a walk, forcing home Zehner and tying the game at 3-3.

Pedro Alvarez collected an RBI single in the top of the ninth against Cale Coshow to put the Tides back on top 4-3. The lead was short-lived as Tim Melville allowed a one-out single to Mike Ford in the bottom of the ninth. Urshela followed with a double up the gap in left center to plate Ford with the tying run, sending the game to extra innings.

In the top of the 10th, pace of play runner Luis Sardiñas scored on a base hit from Rosa. The Tides tacked on two more on a two-run double from Breyvic Valera to take a 7-4 advantage. Melville set the RailRiders down in order in the bottom of the 10th to seal the victory.

Urshela finished 3-for-5 with a run scored, two doubles, a triple, and an RBI. He now has hits in eight of his last nine games, and is batting .324 (12-for-37) in that span. Zehner, Wade, Castillo, and Abiatal Avelino all finished with two hits each.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre continues its four game series with Norfolk on Friday night at PNC Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. RHP Michael King (1-0, 1.98) takes the mound for the RailRiders, while the Tides counter with LHP Luis Ysla (0-1, 1.80). For tickets and more information, call (570) 969-2255 or slide to www.swbrailriders.com.

RACE TO THE FINISH: The Wild Card race in the International League is heating up as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (63-58) hit the homestretch of the 2018 season. With 17 games to go, SWB finds itself 2.0 GB of the Columbus Clippers (66-57) for the Wild Card lead. It's looking like a three-team race for the final playoff spot with the Norfolk Tides (64-57) also making a bid for the postseason, as the Baltimore Orioles affiliate comes to PNC Field for a four-game series continuing Friday night.

FORD REVVING UP: RailRiders INF Mike Ford began the 2018 season in Spring Training with the Seattle Mariners, and struggled out of the gate with SWB to start the year. He was batting .218 AVG/.299 OBP as of July 21, but has turned it around lately. In the 23G since he has hit .333 AVG (28-for-84)/.391 OBP (7 BB, HBP) to raise his season AVG to .256.

BUSINESS IS McBOOMING: INF/OF Ryan McBroom finished 4-for-13 in the series to end the most recent roadtrip @ Durham with 2 HR and 5 RBI. The 1B/OF was riding his third 8G hitting streak of the season into the series finale before finishing 0-for-4 with 3K Sunday evening. Over the hit streak- which fell one-game shy of matching the season-high by a RailRider in 2018- he was 14-for-32 (.434 AVG). During the road trip, McBroom went 11-for-25 (.440 AVG) with three different three-hit games to raise his season AVG from .292 to .304 entering Wednesday. He is one of six qualified players in the IL this season hitting above .300, but trails Pawtucket's OF Rusney Castillo (.329 AVG) by 25 points for the league lead in that category. He has not appeared in a game since Tuesday vs. Indianapolis.

DOING THE MATH: The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders enter Thursday against the Norfolk Tides in 2nd place in the I.L. North, 10.0 games behind the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The RailRiders have 17 games left in their season, and if they were to go 15-2 (.882) down the stretch to reach 78 wins, they'd need Lehigh Valley to play no better than 4-13 (.235) in order to win the division title. Lehigh Valley is 74-49 entering play tonight.

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