The Lehigh Valley IronPigs (9-4) and the Rochester Red Wings (6-7) played game four on Friday evening from Coca-Cola Park. Connor Gillispie was on the mound for Lehigh Valley against Luis Perales of Rochester.
In the bottom of the second inning, Lehigh Valley catcher Garrett Stubbs was on second base with two outs when center fielder Pedro Leon broke his bat on a soft ground ball to first baseman Abimelec Ortiz. Garrett Stubbs scored to put the IronPigs up 1-0.
Leon stole second base, and a wild pitch moved him to third base. Lehigh Valley second baseman Liover Peguero hit a sharp line drive RBI double to left field. Leon scored for a 2-0 lead. Left fielder Christian Cairo struck out on a foul tip, and the inning was over.
Moving to the bottom of the sixth inning, Lehigh Valley catcher Garrett Stubbs worked a four-pitch walk, followed by Carter Kieboom getting a base hit to right field, moving Stubbs to third base. Lehigh Valley first baseman Caleb Ricketts hit Chandler Champlain’s slider for a line drive three-run home run at 394 feet to right field. Lehigh Valley extended its lead to 5-0. It was Ricketts’s first home run of the season, and the exit velocity off the bat was 108.5 mph.
Lehigh Valley center fielder Pedro Leon reached first base on a throwing error by Rochester shortstop Zack Short. Leon stole second base, and a throwing error by Rochester catcher Harry Ford allowed Leon to steal third base. Second baseman Liover Peguero hit a ground ball RBI single to center field. Leon scored for a 6-0 lead. Christian Cairo grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, and a pop-out by Sergio Alcantara ended the inning.
Lehigh Valley starter Connor Gillispie pitched a good game. He went six innings, allowing three hits, one walk, and six strikeouts, throwing 67 pitches, of which 44 were strikes. Griff McGarry was the new Lehigh Valley pitcher at the top of the seventh inning. McGarry walked one, throwing 12 pitches, of which six were strikes, to get three outs.
Jonathan Hernandez was the new pitcher for Lehigh Valley at the top of the eighth inning. Hernandez struck out Andrew Pinckney and Trey Lipscomb before giving up a single to Zack Short. Short advanced to second base on a wild pitch by Hernandez. Hernandez walked Christian Franklin and Harry Ford to load the bases. Hernandez struck out Dylan Crews to end the inning. He threw 23 pitches, of which 13 were strikes.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Lehigh Valley center fielder Pedro Leon hit a single to shortstop Zack Short. He sustained an injury, and Oscar Mercado replaced him. A single by Liover Peguero and Christian Cairo worked a four-pitch walk to load the bases. Shortstop Sergio Alcantara grounded to third baseman Abimelec Ortiz for the first out. Mercado scored for a 7-0 lead with two outs. Felix Reyes struck out swinging, and the inning was over.
Nolan Hoffman was the new pitcher for Lehigh Valley at the top of the ninth inning. Hoffman gave up a single to Abimelec Ortiz before striking out Andrés Chaparro. Robert Hassell III hit a single before Andrew Pinckney hit an RBI single to center field to end the shutout. Ortiz scored, and Lehigh Valley’s lead was now 7-1.
Trey Lipscomb grounded into a forceout at second base, while Robert Hassell III scored that made it 7-2. Hoffman struck out Zack Short, and the game was over. The IronPigs defeated the Red Wings by the final score of 7-2. Hoffman threw 25 pitches, of which 19 were strikes.
Lehigh Valley finished the night with 10 hits, went 4 for 9 with runners in scoring position, and left eight men on base. Caleb Ricketts went 1 for 3 with a walk, a home run, and three RBIs, while Liover Peguero went 3 for 4 with a double and two RBIs.
The win went to Lehigh Valley starter Connor Gillispie (3-0), and the loss went to Rochester starter Luis Perales (0-2).
The IronPigs and Red Wings play game five on Saturday at 6:35 pm. Ryan Cusick (0-0, 5.63 ERA) will be on the mound for Lehigh Valley against Andry Lara (0-1, 7.50 ERA) of Rochester.
