Jon Kemmer’s bases-clearing triple sparks Rochester to a 6-2 win over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
By CRAIG POTTER
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Red Wings won their 3rd straight home game on Wednesday night with a 6-2 victory over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders before a crowd of 5,392 fans at Frontier Field.
The key hit was a bases-loaded triple by Jon Kemmer in the 4th inning after the RailRiders had taken a 2-1 lead in the top of the frame.
“I was just trying to hit the ball hard and give ourselves a chance,” he said of his 2-2 pitch to center field.
Kemmer then crossed the plate on a double by Taylor Motter for a 5-2 advantage.
Kemmer got the Wings on the scoreboard first in the second inning with a 2-out double. Jordan Pacheco followed with a RBI single.
Kemmer’s father-in-law earned an engineering degree at R.I.T.
“I couldn’t tell you what year,” Kemmer said. “They live down in York, PA. now. That’s where me and my wife live also.”
Rochester starting pitcher Zack Littell (3-4) hurled 6 innings as he scattered 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 3 batters to earn the win.
“They got a 2-out basehit to take the lead, but it was nice to come back (with 4 runs),” said Red Wings manager Joel Skinner.
Ryan Harper and Alan Busenitz combined to pitch 3 scoreless and hitless innings against SWB.
Newly acquired Tyler Austin belted a 421-foot home run over the left field fence in his second game with Rochester. He smacked a 454-foot homer Tuesday night in his first game with Rochester, following a trade Monday between games of the double header with SWB. He changed dugouts for the nightcap but was not activated until Tuesday.
The defensive play of the game goes to centerfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker. In the first inning, with a runner on first, Luke Voit blasted the ball to right-center where Hazelbaker made diving catch, just inches off the ground, to save a run.
“It stayed up just long enough,” Skinner said. “He was able to track it down, had to leave his feet.
“There were some nice plays in the outfield. Kemmer came in on a shallow fly ball…He had to leave his feet also.”
In the second frame, he had to race back to the wall to haul in the ball off the bat of Bruce Caldwell, and in the fifth made another fine catch near the warning track off another Voit swing.
The series concludes with a 12:35 matinee on Thursday.
*NOTES — In roster moves on Wednesday, OF Bryon Buxton was placed on the disabled list with a left wrist strain, retroactive to July 31. Buxton was placed on the disabled list for the same injury on July 14, but was activated on July 27 and actually homered on the second pitch of the game in his first plate appearance after returning on the 27th. RHP Chase De Jong, acquired from Seattle along with 1B Ryan Costello for LHP Zach Duke on July 30, was activated today and will start Thursday’s afternoon game…Rochester leads the International League with a 3.40 ERA. That number has risen from a league-best 3.28 ERA on June 26…The Minnesota Twins and Rochester Red Wings have signed a 2-year extension on their player development contract that will run through the 2020 season. The Twins are just the third affiliate in Rochester’s history. The St. Louis Cardinals and Baltimore Orioles are the previous affiliates.