The Lehigh Valley IronPigs (13-10) played game two on Wednesday night against the Durham Bulls (8-15) from Coca-Cola Park. Bryse Wilson was on the mound against Brody Hopkins of Durham.
In the bottom of the first inning with two outs, Lehigh Valley left fielder Otto Kemp was hit by a pitch. Bryan De La Cruz followed up by working a four-pitch walk. A wild pitch by Brody Hopkins moved both runners to second and third base.
Lehigh Valley catcher Caleb Ricketts cleared the bases with a two-run RBI double to right field. Kemp and Cruz scored for a 2-0 lead. Lehigh Valley shortstop Christian Cairo hit a single before first baseman Liover Peguero struck out swinging, and the inning was over.
Moving to the bottom of the fourth inning, Christian Cairo worked a four-pitch walk. Liover Peguero followed up by hitting a sharp line drive RBI double to center field. Cairo scored for a 3-0 lead. It was Peguero’s ninth double of the season. Peguero attempted to stretch it to third base, but was caught. A lineout by Robert Moore and Oscar Mercado ended the inning.
At the top of the sixth inning, Bryse Wilson walked Jacob Melton, and he later stole second base. Raynel Delgado followed up with a single off the wall in right field. Melton was injured after putting on the brakes at third base. He was replaced by Cooper Bowman.
Carson Williams hit an RBI single to center field. Bowman scored, and the Bulls cut the deficit to 3-1. Dom Keegan grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, and Justyn-Henry Malloy was called out on strikes to end the inning. Bryse Wilson pitched six innings, allowing four hits, one run, four walks, and 10 strikeouts, throwing 96 pitches, of which 58 were strikes.
Génesis Cabrera was the new pitcher for Lehigh Valley at the top of the seventh inning. Cabrera struck out two, throwing 15 pitches, of which 10 were strikes, to get three outs.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Lehigh Valley first baseman Liover Peguero worked a four-pitch walk, followed by Robert Moore getting hit by a pitch. Two batters later, with one out, second baseman Sergio Alcantara hit a ground ball RBI single to center field. Liover Peguero scored for a 4-1 lead. Steward Berroa was called out on strikes, and Otto Kemp grounded into a forceout at second base, and the inning was over.
Trevor Richards was the new pitcher for Lehigh Valley at the top of the eighth inning. Richards struck out all three batters, throwing 12 pitches, of which 10 were strikes. Richards returned to pitch the top of the ninth inning. Richards allowed a hit and struck out two, throwing 15 pitches, of which 10 were strikes, to get the final three outs of the game.
The IronPigs defeated the Bulls by the final score of 4-1 for their second straight win. Lehigh Valley finished the night with five hits, went 3 for 7 with runners in scoring position, and left five men on base. Caleb Ricketts went 1 for 4 with a double and two RBIs.
The win went to Lehigh Valley starter Bryse Wilson (1-2), while Trevor Richards earned the save (2), and the loss went to Durham starter Brody Hopkins.
The IronPigs and Bulls play game three on Thursday at 6:35 pm on the MLB App. Alan Rangel (2-1, 1.66 ERA) will be on the mound for Lehigh Valley against Chase Solesky (1-0, 6.91 ERA) of Durham.
