The Lehigh Valley IronPigs (20-22) and the Rochester Red Wings (22-20) played game three on Thursday night from ESL Ballpark. Tucker Davidson was on the mound for Lehigh Valley against Trevor Gott of Rochester.
In the bottom of the first inning, Rochester had runners on second and third base when Andrés Chaparro hit a two-run RBI single to center field. Dylan Crews and Yohandy Morales scored for a 2-0 lead. With two outs, Davidson struck out Trey Lipscomb to end the inning.
At the top of the third inning, Lehigh Valley had a runner on second base when catcher Paul McIntosh hit an RBI double to center field. Dylan Carlson scored, and it was now 2-1. Lehigh Valley center fielder Steward Berroa hit Gott’s 88.1 mph cutter for a two-run home run to right field to give the IronPigs a 3-2 lead. It was Berroa’s fourth home run of the season.
After a pitching change by Rochester, Otto Kemp hit a double to center field. With two outs, designated hitter Liover Peguero struck out swinging, and the inning was over.
Moving to the bottom of the third inning, Rochester had a runner on third base when Andrew Pinckney grounded out to Tucker Davidson. Yohandy Morales scored, and the game was tied 3-3. With two outs and the bases loaded, Levi Jordan grounded into a forceout at second base to retire the side. Lehigh Valley starter Tucker Davidson pitched three innings, allowing five hits, three runs, four walks, and two strikeouts, throwing 71 pitches, of which 38 were strikes.
At the top of the fourth inning, Christian Cairo hit a single and later stole second base. With one out, Steward Berroa hit an RBI single to right field, scoring Cairo to give the IronPigs a 4-3 lead. With two outs and runners on the corners, Liover Peguero struck out swinging, and the inning was over.
Michael Mercado was the new pitcher for Lehigh Valley in the bottom of the fourth inning. Mercado struck out two, throwing 19 pitches, of which 12 were strikes, to get three outs. Mercado would go on to pitch two innings, allowing one hit, one walk, and three strikeouts, throwing 36 pitches, of which 20 were strikes.
Grant Holman pitched for the Lehigh Valley in the bottom of the sixth inning. He walked one and struck out two, throwing 15 pitches, of which nine were strikes, to get three outs. Holman pitched two innings, allowing one hit, one walk, and two strikeouts, throwing 25 pitches, of which 19 were strikes.
At the top of the eighth inning, Lehigh Valley had runners on the corners when Otto Kemp hit an RBI single to center field. Christian Cairo scored to give The IronPigs a 5-3 lead. After a pitching change, Lehigh Valley designated hitter Liover Peguero hit an RBI single to left field, scoring Paul McIntosh for a 6-3 lead. A flyout by Carter Kieboom ended the inning.
Seth Johnson pitched for Lehigh Valley in the bottom of the eighth inning. He struck out one, throwing 12 pitches, of which eight were strikes, to get three outs. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Johnson put two runners on, but was able to overcome it by getting a lineout from Andrés Chaparro, striking out Andrew Pinckney, and a groundout by Trey Lipscomb ended the game.
The IronPigs snapped a four-game losing streak with a 6-3 win over the Red Wings. Lehigh Valley finished the night with 12 hits, went 6 for 15 with runners in scoring position, and left 10 men on base. Otto Kemp went 4 for 4 with two doubles, a walk, an RBI, and a stolen base. Steward Berroa went 2 for 4 with a home run, a stolen base, and three RBIs.
The win went to Lehigh Valley pitcher Michael Mercado (1-0), Seth Johnson earned his fourth save of the season, and the loss went to Rochester pitcher Holden Powell (0-1).
The IronPigs and Red Wings play game four on Friday at 6:45 pm the MLB App. Alan Rangel (2-4, 2.95 ERA) will be on the mound for Lehigh Valley against Chandler Champlain (3-0, 3.09 ERA).
