By Craig Potter
The game is tied 4 times before ABW’s 2-run blast provides the margin of victory.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Rochester Red Wings battled the Norfolk Tides on even terms through 7 innings on Friday night before 8,862 fans at Frontier Field. But rookie power hitter Adam Brett Walker snapped a 6-6 tie with a 2-run homer over the left field fence in the bottom of the 8th inning to give the Red Wings an 8-6 victory.
“The ball is out there, hit where it’s pitched,” Walker said. “Try to give myself more time and let the ball come to me instead of me go get it.
“I was looking for a fastball…but got the slider, kind of recognized it, got the barrel to it and it left the park.”
“It’s been awhile, too,” said Red Wings manager Mike Quade of Walker’s home run. “He’s swinging the bat better…and he’s hit more balls to right-center than I’ve seen…The last month he’s done a better job of going that way.
“His at bats are better and he’s cut down on strikeouts. He’s strong enough where he can hit the ball out of any part of the park.”
Walker also tripled to right-center and walked, and scored 3 runs total for the Wings.
“Home runs are always nice but I’ve been getting a few more hits lately. That’s always nice.”
Darin Mastroianni doubled in his first two at bats, scoring a run in the first, and driving n 2 runs in the second.
He also made a pair of great catches in center field to help thwart the Tides. The first one started on the game on leadoff batter Xavier Avery when Mastroianni made a diving catch on the sinking line drive.
Then in the 7th with 2 runners on base, Mastroianni made a sliding catch on Audry Perez to rob him of a hit for the second out.
Mastroianni also had a memorable moment prior to his first at bat when he spoke with Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame running back Thurmon Thomas, who threw out the first pitch. Thomas was heading from the dugout to the stands when he stopped to speak with Mastroianni in the on deck circle.
“It’s always fun to meet a guy like that,” said Mastroianni. “He had so much success in the NFL. He was just kind of joking around with me about playing. It’s a wonderful moment. He’s a Hall of Famer to mess around with before your first at bat. That was pretty deep.
Shortstop Wilfredo Tovar contributed a single and double in his first two at bats, and scored both times. He also made one of the most spectacular plays defensively when in the 9th inning, he slid to his left to snare a bullet off the bat of Trey Mancini, like a hockey goalie making a spectacular glove save. But then Tovar was able to recover to throw him out at first base as well.
“That play was some kind of…me and (Logan) Schafer started running to the gap, thinking it was going to get through,” Mastroianni said. “That was one of the better plays I’ve seen all year. That ball was absolutely crushed and he made one helluva of a play. To pick that thing and to get up and fire to first, that was a good throw there.”
The Wings held leads of 1-0, 4-1, 5-4, and 6-5 but each time the Tides were able to battle back and tie the score, until the 8th inning put Rochester ahead to stay.
“It looked like that kind of a night,” Quade said. “You just get as many outs as you can coming off this break.
“The rest is good but relief pitchers get into a routine…I hate for guys not to pitch, three days is the max that you want to try. Sometimes you can’t…So everybody is back in action.”
After getting two outs and allowing a lead-off single in the fourth inning, Darnell exited the game with a shoulder injury and was replaced by rookie Nick Greenwood. Darnell went 3.2 innings and allowed 4 runs on 8 hits with 2 strikeouts and 1 walk.
Greenwood threw 2.1 innings and allowed 1 run on 3 hits and struck out 2. He was replaced by Sean Burnett gave up 1 run on 2 hits in the 7th. Buddy Boshers got the first two outs in the 8th and allowed one hit, then Quade brought in right-handed closer Alex Wimmers to face the right-handed hitting Dariel Alvarez with the go-ahead run on third.
Alvarez sent a fly ball to left where Schafer chased it down in the Bermuda Triangle for the out.
After Tovar’s great play for the first out in the 9th, Christian Walker singled to left. Schafer made a nice sliding stop to keep the ball from going to the corner and held the Tide batter to a single. Wimmers retired the next two batters for the win (2-1).
The series continues Saturday night at 6:05 p.m. with fireworks to follow and a concert by country singer Joe Nichols.
*NOTES – The Tides outhit the Red Wings, 15-11…Darin Mastroianni picked up two more hits Friday, part of a 17-for-42 (.405) hot streak over his last 11 games…No change in the IL North Division standings as Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (58-35) leads Lehigh Valley (54-39) by 4 games and Rochester (54-40) by 4.5 games…Aquinas graduate Chris Bostick had 2 hits and drove in 2 runs in the Syracuse Chiefs’ 10-run first inning on Friday night against the Durham Bulls, who come to Frontier Field on Monday. The Chiefs won, 12-1.
Links
Rochester Red Wings – redwingsbaseball.com
Videos
Adam Brett Walker interview – https://youtu.be/63ulItCB-LI
Darin Mastroianni interview – https://youtu.be/iXkn9x3rQZg
Manager Mike Quade interview – https://youtu.be/qu8w49ZmvGg