The Storm Chasers use 2 big innings to crush Rochester, 13-7.
By Andrew Westbrook / Rochester Red Wings
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Red Wings overcame a six-run deficit, but dropped the finale, 13-7, to split the series against the Omaha Storm Chasers in the final game before the All-Star Break Sunday afternoon.
Omaha broke the scoring open early with a six-spot in the top of the first, including back-to-back homers by Omaha 1B Angelo Castellano (grand-slam) and 3B John Rave’s first Triple-A home run (solo), batting around before the Wings could come to the plate.
Rochester cut into the deficit in the bottom half when 1B Joey Meneses blasted his first of two homers, plating CF Cole Freeman to make the score 6-2. They would add two more in the third, one coming via a Meneses single, his third RBI of the game and 55th of the season, scoring LF Andrew Stevenson to make it 6-4 heading into the fourth*. *
RF Josh Palacios extended his hit-streak to 11 games (longest active streak in the International League), and on-base streak to 24 as he drove in a run in the 5th on an infield single to cut the lead to one. The score would remain the same until the bottom half of the eighth when Meneses connected on his second home run of the afternoon and 19th on the season (T-3rd in the IL) to complete the comeback and tie the game at six. This marked Meneses’ third multi-homer game of the season.
Omaha blew the game open in the ninth, plating seven runs to give the Royals’ top affiliate a comfortable cushion. Rochester added one in the bottom half from SS Jecksson Flores’ first homer as a Red Wing, falling 13-7.