Wings Hang On to Top Bulls
June 6, 2006 - International League (IL1)
Rochester Red Wings News Release
The Red Wings held off a ninth inning rally to defeat the Durham Bulls 9-7 Tuesday afternoon at Frontier Field, the sixth straight win for the Wings. The heroes were plentiful for the first place Red Wings; Jason Bartlett had three hits, three runs scored and made two great defensive plays at shortstop, and both Chris Heintz and Garrett Jones had 4-RBI days. Rochester starter Mike Smith struck out nine in five innings to get the win, evening his record at 3-3. Closer Pat Neshek struck out the final two batters of the game to shut off Durham's three-run ninth inning comeback.
With 9,501 fans on hand for Education Day, on a beautiful sunny afternoon, the teams exchanged first inning runs. The Bulls' Kevin Witt doubled, plating an unearned run off Wings starter Smith. Bartlett hit a one-out single off Edwin Jackson in the bottom of the first, and Heintz delivered an RBI double to tie the game at 1-1.
After the second Rochester error of the day, Witt launched his league-leading 15th homer to right field in the third inning to give Durham a 3-1 lead with all three runs unearned off Smith.
Bartlett led off Rochester's third inning with a shot to the left field wall. Brent Butler couldn't handle it and Bartlett hustled all the way to third base for a triple. Josh Rabe lined out and Kevin West walked, then Heintz lifted a fly ball to right that allowed Bartlett to score and West to advance a base. West scored on Jones' RBI hit to tie the game 3-3.
The Wings put a five-spot on the board in the fourth to put the game away. Four hits - including a three-run homer by Jones - and a Durham error paved the way for the Wings. In the Red Wings eighth, Rabe's sacrifice fly scored Tyner, who led off the inning with a triple.
Rochester relievers Henry Bonilla (two innings, one run) and Beau Kemp (one perfect inning, helped out by two outstanding plays by Bartlett) brought the game to the ninth with the Wings up 9-4. With Bobby Korecky pitching, both Elijah Dukes and Witt homered in the ninth to pull Durham within two runs at 9-7; with one out and a runner at second, lefty reliever Jason Miller came on to face the left-handed hitting Sean Burroughs; Miller walked Burroughs to put the tying run on base. Closer Neshek came in to face Butler, who reached on an infield single to load the bases; Williams made a diving stop to keep Butler's hit in the infield and made a great effort to throw to second, but it wasn't in time. Neshek struck out pinch-hitter Kevin Cash for the second out, then fanned former Twins and Red Wings second baseman Luis Rivas to end the game. Neshek picked up his 12th save.
NOTES: Smith's nine strikeouts were one short of his season-high of 10 against Buffalo May 10... Rochester moved to 6-0 in the month of June - their best start to the month of June since 1995 (6-0). If the Red Wings can finish with a winning month of June, it would be their eighth consecutive month with a .500 or better record - the first time they've accomplished the feat since April-September 1980 and April, May 1981...Bartlett now has an nine-game hitting streak....Double-A New Britain 1B/DH Danny Matienzo currently leads the Eastern League with 38 RBI. The RockCats have already 10 rainouts, including eight at home.
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