INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Greg Bird homered and drove in three runs as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (New York Yankees) doubled up the Indianapolis Indians (Pittsburgh Pirates) on Wednesday afternoon, 10-5.
Eight of the RailRiders’ nine men in the order had a hit while the lone exception, Ben Gamel, began the game with a walk. SWB (52-47) has a chance to post a winning road trip with a win in the series finale while Indianapolis (57-41) will try to avoid its first back-to-back home losses since a three-game slip from May 30-June 1.
Indy plated a pair in the first to take the lead with run-scoring blows by Keon Broxton and Steve Lombarsozzi against starter Esmil Rogers (1-0). Rogers would settle, firing five frames of three-run ball for his first win since May 1 against the Boston Red Sox.
Tied at three entering the fifth, the RailRiders took the lead for good on Bird’s third Triple-A home run, a solo shot to right off starter Adrian Sampson (8-8). It ignited a string of four straight run-scoring innings for the lopsided final.
The four-game series concludes at 7:05 p.m. on Thursday evening. SWB right-hander Diego Moreno (3-0, 2.36) will face fellow righty Angel Sanchez (4-1, 2.97). The team that takes Thursday’s contest will also win the season series, which sits tied at 3-3. The RailRiders will give away a special copy of Yankees Magazine to the first 2,500 fans in attendance on Friday, July 24, when the team hosts the Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers). For more information please call (570) 969-BALL (2255) or visit swbrailriders.com.
OFF THE RAILS:
Greg Bird went 2-for-5 with a double and the home run. He drove in three runs, scored two and has reached safely in all but one of his 16 games with SWB including a hit in 14 of those affairs.
Jose Pirela wet 3-for-6 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Gary Sanchez posted a 2-for-4 effort with a double, an RBI, a walk and a run scored.
Cole Figueroa doubled during his 2-for-5 showing, good for his team-best 35th multi-hit game. He has hit safely in 18 of his last 19 games with SWB including multiple hits in 14 of those games.
Rob Refsnyder went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. He has hit safely in nine straight Triple-A games and 16 of 17 going back to June 24.
Indianapolis went 4-for-4 in stolen-base attempts.
The RailRiders’ longest nine-inning game of the season went 3:24. It smashed the high-water mark which was set on Opening Day when an 8-3 defeat of Syracuse took 3:09.
Indianapolis manager Dean Treanor was ejected after the eighth inning. He jogged across the diamond to argue with first-base umpire Max Guyll after a close call on a Keon Broxton groundout ended the frame.
The RailRiders notched multiple runs for the first time since a 14-2 pummeling of Pawtucket at McCoy Stadium on July 2.
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