Moosic, PA – The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Triple-A/New York Yankees) bashed two home runs in the first inning and stormed past the Rochester Red Wings 13-3 in a rain-shortened affair on Friday night at PNC Field. The RailRiders (36-27) posted their fifth straight win and 10th in the last 11 games. The Red Wings (31-29) slipped to 3.5 games behind the first place RailRiders in the International League North Division.
Jose De Paula (2-0) limited the Red Wings to two runs on seven hits over 5.2 innings for the win. Rochester starter Lester Oliveros (2-2) shouldered the loss after surrendering five runs on four hits without recording an out.
The game was mired by a benches-clearing incident in the opening stanza. Rob Refsnyder crushed a three-run blast down the left field line and Kyle Roller demolished a mammoth blast out to left-center for his ninth home run and a 4-0 lead.
Oliveros then drilled catcher Austin Romine in the head and was immediately ejected. Both benches and bullpens emptied before order was restored. Eddy Rodriguez entered as a pinch runner for Romine and stayed in as catcher. He scored from third on a single by Cole Figueroa.
Rochester tallied a run in the second on a hit by Wilkin Ramirez before the RailRiders put the game away with a seven-run fifth. Rodriguez and Ramon Flores stroked consecutive doubles off reliever Mark Hamburger for a 6-1 advantage. A Figueroa walk and Nick Noonan single loaded the bases. Ali Castillo bounced into a fielder’s choice to score Flores.Ben Gamel, Jose Pirela, Refsnyder and Roller followed with run-producing hits for an 11-1 lead. Rodriguez capped the barrage with a sacrifice fly to right.
The Red Wings squeezed across runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Nick Rumbelow and manager Dave Miley were ejected in the seventh after the reliever pitched in on Argenis Diaz.
Pirela scored the final run in the eighth on a double by Refsnyder and a fielding error by second baseman James Beresford. Heavy rains arrived in the ninth inning and the game was declared final.
Refsnyder finished the night with a season-high four hits and four RBI. The 13 runs and 18 hits by the RailRiders were all season bests. Of the nine RailRiders that had official at-bats, eight registered hits. Six finished with multiple knocks.
The RailRiders go for the series win against the Rochester Red Wings (Minnesota Twins) on Saturday night. Right-hander Ivan Nova will make rehab start for the RailRiders against Red Wings left-hander Jason Wheeler (1-4, 6.20). Saturday’s game features a Derek Jeter bobblehead giveaway, presented by Allied Services and postgame fireworks. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. For tickets or more information, call 570-969-BALL (2255) or visit the team’s website, www.swbrailriders.com.
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