Kennys Vargas’s homer keys Rochester to a 6-4 win over the Mud Hens.
By Nick Sciarratta and Collin Hetherington
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Red Wings came from behind to defeat the Toledo Mud Hens 6-4 Wednesday night before a crowd of 6,976 at Frontier Field.
Rochester went to Nick Anderson as “Opener,” but lasted just a third of an inning before Chase De Jong took the mound. Anderson struggled, allowing a pair of doubles, a pair of singles, and a walk that resulted in three first inning runs. He threw 31 pitches, 19 for strikes.
The Wings pulled off some theatrics in the third after executing their second hidden ball trick of the season (April 17; DJ Baxendale and Jermaine Curtis). After a sacrifice fly made the score 4-0, shortstop Gregorio Petit threw the ball to third baseman Willians Astudillo who never returned the ball to De Jong. After Dawel Lugo stepped off third base between at-bats, Astudillo tagged him for the second out of the inning.
In the fifth, Rochester cut into the Toledo lead after rallying for five hits resulting in three runs. After Jeremy Hazelbaker singled home Juan Graterol who doubled to lead off the inning against Toledo starter Warwick Saupold, Nick Gordon singled to put a pair on base. Tyler Austin then roped a single of his own down the right field line to score Hazelbaker, cutting the deficit to 4-2. Rochester capped off the inning with a sacrifice fly from Astudillo which scored Gordon, leaving the Mud Hens with a 4-3 lead.
Saupold was lifted after going 4.1 innings. He allowed three runs on seven hits while striking out four. Saupold threw 61 pitches, 45 for strikes.
Rochester threatened to tie the game in the sixth after Edgar Corcino reached third with one out but Toledo relief pitcher Zac Reininger ended the inning after striking out Petit and Hazelbaker.
Tyler Duffey came on for De Jong to begin the seventh inning. De Jong went 5.2 innings allowing one run on three hits while walking three and striking out five. He threw 99 pitches, 62 for strikes.
Following a leadoff walk from Gordon in the seventh, Rochester took a 5-4 lead and scored their fifth unanswered run after Kennys Vargas blasted his 14th home run of the season.
The Wings added an insurance run in the eighth after Gordon singled with the bases loaded to score Taylor Motter and increase the lead 6-4.
*NOTES — The 3-game series concludes Thursday evening at 7:05 pm…The Red Wings celebrated Rochester on “Roc The Roc Night,” with an emotional pre-game ceremony welcoming back Red Wings Hall of Famer Joe Altobelli and former New York Giants All-Star pitcher and Rochester native Johnny Antonelli…Local lads Daniel Armbruster and Joey Morinelli of the band Joywave led the crowd in “Take Me Out To The Ballgame.”