Former Red Wing Danny Ortiz slugs 2 homers in the 11-3 IronPigs victory.
By Nick Sciarratta and Collin Hetherington
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Lehigh Valley IronPigs cruised to an 11-3 win over the Rochester Red Wings Friday night at windy Frontier Field. The series continues Saturday afternoon at 1:05 pm.
Lehigh Valley wasted no time getting on the board in the first inning, stringing a pair of runs together off of Rochester spot starter DJ Baxendale. After Dean Anna singled with one out in the first, former Wing Danny Ortiz followed up with a home run that sailed over the center field fence, giving the IronPigs a 2-0 lead.
The IronPigs struck again in the second after Roman Quinn tripled home Joey Meneses to score. Anna doubled, increasing the lead to 4-0. Lehigh Valley chased Baxendale from the game after he surrendered his second 2-run home run of the night to Ortiz, making it 6-0. Baxendale was charged with 6 runs on 6 hits while walking 1 and striking out none over 1.2 innings. Baxendale threw 50 pitches, 25 for strikes.
Tyler Duffey replaced Baxendale, but the IronPigs scored for the third consecutive inning. After an error and a walk to open the inning, Meneses singled to drive in a run and increase the lead to 7-0.
Duffey allowed 3 more runs in the fourth after a 2-run home run from Cozens was followed by an RBI single by Mitch Walding, giving Lehigh Valley a 10-0 lead. Duffey was replaced by Luke Bard to begin the fifth inning. Duffey went 2.1 innings and was charged with 4 runs (3 earned) on 3 hits and 3 walks, striking out 1.
Bard kept the Lehigh Valley offense at bay, retiring all 6 batters he faced over 2 innings of work. Bard, who struck out 2, was replaced by Mason Melotakis to begin the seventh inning.
After Melotakis surrendered a leadoff walk to begin the seventh, Meneses doubled to increase the IronPigs’ lead to 11-0.
De Los Santos was lifted from the game to begin the seventh inning. He went 6.0 innings, allowing no runs on three hits, walking five while striking out eight. De Los Santos threw 100 pitches, 60 were for strikes.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Wynston Sawyer’s 2-run double broke the shutout and got the Wings on the scoreboard. It was Sawyer’s first game since joining the Wings from Double-A Chattanooga. James Ramsey brought home Sawyer with an RBI single, making the score 11-3.
Melotakis allowed an earned run in his 2.0 innings pitched, striking out 3. Casey Crosby pitched the ninth for the Red Wings.
*NOTES — RHP John Curtiss was actived after being optioned by the Minnesota Twins on May 2…RHP Zack Littell has been promoted from Double-A Chattanooga and will make his Triple-A debut when he starts Saturday afternoon’s game.