Rochester erupts for 8 runs in the 5th inning in posting a 13-5 victory.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Red Wings jumped out to a 4-0 lead, then responded with an 8-run inning after the Louisville Bats forged ahead with 5 runs in the 5th inning, to notch a 13-5 victory on Monday night before 5,667 fans at Frontier Field.
Taylor Motter led off the bottom of the first inning with a 398-foot homer over the left field wall. Nick Gordon followed with a double and crossed the plate on LaMonte Wade’s single for a 2-0 lead.
The Red Wings doubled their advantage with a pair of runs in the fourth. Jon Kemmer drew a walk to lead off the frame. Jordan Pacheco singled to left. Kemmer hustled around to third, and when the throw was over the third baseman’s head, scampered home to score. Pacheco ended up on third at the end of the play, and came home on Zack Granite’s sacrifice fly.
The Bats got to Rochester starter Zack Littel for 5 runs in the fifth on 5 hits and 2 walks. It marked the beginning of an inning that would take 59 minutes, 30 seconds to complete, utilizing a combined 97 pitches from 5 pitchers.
The home half proved to be an even longer at bat as the Wings sent 14 batters to the plate and pushed across 8 runs to re-take the lead for good.
The big blow was a grand slam by Andy Wilkins, who joined the team earlier in the day. The 29-year-old took a 12-minute flight from Chattanooga, TN., to Atlanta, then a 3-hour flight to Rochester, arriving around noon.
The 5th inning lasted 30 seconds shy of an hour, and the game took 3:23 to conclude.
“It was just a baseball inning,” said Red Wings manager Joel Skinner. “The game just got out of control.”
The home run turned out to be Wilkins’ only hit of the contest.
“The count was 2 and 1 and I was looking for a fastball,” Wilkins said of the 338-foot shot to right field that hit off the foul pole and ended up in the glove of the right fielder.
“I didn’t know it was a home run until the umpire signaled it.”
Wilkins has been in the IL before when he played for Skinner in Charlotte.
“The last time I was here, it was like 900 degrees — below zero,” Wilkins said. “It was so cold. I have nothing but horrible memories of here.”
But he will have fond memories of this night in July, especially the fifth inning.
“It was a good night,” he said. “It was a good way to answer back. We showed some resiliency.”
Wade paced the Wings with 3 hits as Motter, Kennys Vargas, and Pacheco each collected a pair as every player in the lineup had at least 1 hit. Eight of the 9 players also crossed the plate at least once in the game.
Gabriel Moya picked up the win as he and Trevor Moya and Nick Anderson combined to hold the Bats scoreless over the final 4.3 innings.
The series continues with an 11:05 am game Tuesday.
*NOTES — In roster moves Monday, INF Andy Wilkins was promoted from Double-A Chattanooga; and INF Leonardo Reginatto was placed on the disabled list with a broken hand…LaMonte Wade tied a team record with his 19th straight game of getting on base. He went 3-for-4 with a walk, 1 RBI, and 1 run scored…Andy Wilkins’ grand slam was the second this season by a Wing…Taylor Motter’s leadoff homer was the first by a Red Wing since Zack Granite hit one on Aug. 6, 2017…Kudos to the Red Wings ground crew for getting the field in playing condition, and in time for the 7:05 start, following a downpour around 5 pm that resulted in a large puddle in short right field, as well as large puddles around the warning track…The Red Wings tied their season-high run production with 13.