SWB RailRiders Game Notes- September 14
IL Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

SWB RailRiders Game Notes- September 14

Published on September 14, 2025 under International League (IL)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


Lehigh Valley IronPigs (38-29, 84-57) at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (45-23, 83-57)

September 14, 2025 | Game 141 | Home Game 73 | PNC Field | First Pitch 1:05 P.M.

RH Gabe Mosser (3-5, 5.75) vs. RH Kenta Maeda (5-6, 5.66)

Mosser: Allowed 2 R on 2 H over 5.0 IP in 9/09 ND @ SWB with 5 K & 2 BB (5-4 IronPigs)

Maeda: Allowed 2 R on 4 H over 5.0 IP in 9/09 ND vs. LHV with 2 K & 5 BB

LAST TIME OUT- MOOSIC, PA (September 13, 2025) - The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders defeated the Lehigh Valley IronPigs 8-5 Saturday at PNC Field. Two homers in the fourth and a two-run fifth inning brought Scranton/Wilkes-Barre back from a four-run deficit to down the IronPigs.

Lehigh Valley opened the scoring in the top of the first against RailRiders starter Erick Leal with three straight singles, including an RBI knock by Gabriel Rincones, Jr. driving in Johan Rojas. Lehigh Valley extended the advantage in the top of the fourth. After Oscar Mercado walked, Brewer Hicklen hit a two-run home run to left field, putting Lehigh Valley ahead 3-0. Payton Henry and Luis Verdugo walked before Rodolfo Castro doubled home Henry for a four-run cushion. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game against Lehigh Valley starter Mitch Neunborn. Rumfield singled and J.C. Escarra walked before Jose Rojas cut the lead to one with a bases-clearing three-run homer to right field for a 4-3 margin. Bryan De La Cruz followed with a game-tying solo shot, his 14th homer of the season leveled the game at four. The RailRiders took the lead with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Andrew Velazquez doubled to lead off the frame, Yankees #3 Prospect Spencer Jones walked to extend his on-base streak to 16 games, and T.J. Rumfield singled to load the bases. Escarra plated Velazquez with a sacrifice fly to give Scranton/Wilkes-Barre a one-run lead. The RailRiders tacked on another run to extend the lead to 6-4. Two runs in the bottom of the seventh gave Scranton/Wilkes-Barre a three-run lead. Velazquez, Jones, Rumfield, and Escarra reached with four consecutive singles to give SWB an 8-5 lead to cap the scoring.

Joel Kuhnel (4-1) earned the win and Scott Effross garnered his third save. Neunborn (0-4) took the loss.

FOR THE IRONRAIL- Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Lehigh Valley meet for the final time in 2025. The season-set has been split 10-10 with just today to go. The RailRiders won the 2024 iteration 14-10.

SECOND-HALF CHASE- With seven games remaining in the 2025 regular season, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre holds a four-game lead over Syracuse for the International League's second-half title. Toledo and Indianapolis are six back and Lehigh Valley is 6.5 games out. A RailRiders win today, coupled with losses by the Mud Hens and Indians, would narrow the field to two teams with one series left to play. Syracuse closes the regular season in Allentown and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre travels to Buffalo. The winner of the second-half crown will play at Jacksonville in a best-of-three series starting on September 23. The Triple-A National Championship Game is slated for 10:00 P.M. ET on September 27 in Las Vegas when the IL winner squares off against the Pacific Coast League champions.

REMATCH- Kenta Maeda makes his second start of the week in a rematch with Gabe Mosser from Tuesday's series opener. Maeda is 0-1 against the IronPigs this year in a pair of starts, but sports a 1.64 ERA, having allowed three runs, two earned, on nine hits over 11 innings. The RailRiders have faced Mosser in three of his 15 Triple-A starts this season, plating 13 runs on 18 hits over 14 innings, sending him to two losses and an 8.36 ERA.

RACE TO THE TOP- With seven games to go, Lehigh Valley and Jacksonville are virtually tied for the best record in the International League. The IronPigs are 84-57, good for a .596 winning percentage. The Jumbo Shrimp, first-half IL champs, are 85-58, good for a .594 winning percentage. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre is a half-game back at 83-57 and .593.

30/100... PLUS- Jose Rojas joined skipper Shelley Duncan and Jorge Vasquez as the only players in SWB franchise history to hit 30 or more home runs in a single season. Duncan broke his own record of 25 with 30 home runs during his 2009 MVP campaign, the year he also drove in 99. Jorge Vasquez broke Duncan's mark with a 32-homer season in 2011. Rojas joins Torey Lovullo as the only players in franchise history to drive in 100 or more runs. Lovullo drove in a club record 106 during the 1999 campaign. Rojas has 31 home runs and 103 runs batted in with seven games left on the slate.

KING OF CLUTCH- Nearly half of Jose Rojas' 30 home runs have come in key situations this season. Four have tied games and 10 have been go-ahead home runs by the 31-year-old. Thirteen of 30 have been hit in the seventh inning or later. Rojas also has four multi-homer games this season, including three in the second half.

POWER SWING- Spencer Jones is tied for the Minor League Baseball lead with 33 home runs this season. LA Dodgers Minor Leaguer Ryan Ward matched Jones with a home run last night.

WHAT'S THE DIFF- As play starts this afternoon, the RailRiders have the best run differential in the International League. Over 140 games played, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre has scored 135 more runs than they have allowed. Only Durham and Toledo have scored over 100 runs more than they have allowed (+110 & +102, respectively).

SERIES STUFF- The RailRiders have won or split 15 consecutive series since going 1-4 in Nashville from May 21 through 24. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre has won 11 of those 15 series since May 27.

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION- New York beat Boston 5-3. Max Fried struck out six for his 17th win of the season... Somerset topped Reading 6-2. Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz struck out seven in the victory.

Check out the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Statistics

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International League Stories from September 14, 2025


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