With blue skies and the sun looming large over ESL Ballpark, the Rochester Red Wings (31-20) began their six-game homestand against the Syracuse Mets (27-24) on Memorial Day with a final score of 8-5. In an attempt to win their ninth game in a row, Rochester entered the bottom of the ninth down by a run. SS Trey Lipscomb tied things up with a solo homer on the first pitch of the inning, and four batters later, 1B Abimelec Ortiz launched a three-run walkoff homer to give the Red Wings their first nine-game winning streak since 2022. 2B Seaver King kicked the scoring off with his first Triple-A home run on the first pitch he saw at ESL Ballpark, and later added an RBI single to give him nine through his first six games with the team.
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After two scoreless innings, the Red Wings offense struck first in the third. On the first pitch he would see in the Flower City, Seaver King smashed the first Triple-A homer of his career to put Rochester up 1-0. Trey Lipscomb would follow this up with a base hit to right field, and 3B Yohandy Morales drove in his 30th RBI of the season via a single to left field, sending Lipscomb diving home to extend the lead to 2-0. Rochester continued their third-inning scoring after Abimelec Ortiz shot an RBI double to right field, sending Morales home, giving Rochester a 3-0 advantage heading into the fourth.
Syracuse’s response began with two outs in the top of the fourth, on a throwing error that sent DH Eric Wagaman to second. Shortly after, 3B Andy Ibáñez snuck a ground ball down the right field line for an RBI double, making it 3-1 Red Wings. Abimelec Ortiz halted the Mets' baserunning with a diving catch, preventing what could have been another RBI down the right field line.
In the top of the sixth, Eric Wagaman delivered an equalizing two-run homer to center field for the Mets. Rochester avoided further damage and entered the ensuing inning tied at 3-3.
Following a walk to Andrew Pinckney in the ensuing half-inning, Rochester responded through Seaver King’s red-hot bat. The 2024 first-round pick drove in his second RBI of the afternoon on an RBI single to put the Red Wings up 4-3 entering the seventh.
The Mets had a busy eighth inning on offense that began with a RF Jihwan Bae walk and stolen base. Shortly after, 1B Christian Arroyo doubled to left field to put Syracuse in position to tie the game at four runs apiece. LF Ryan Clifford shot a long flyball to left field that was caught, allowing Bae to score and Clifford to advance. Eric Wagaman came up big once again for the Mets as he drove an RBI single to right field, sending Arroyo home, giving Syracuse their first lead of the game at 5-4.
Rochester’s final opportunity to preserve their win streak was in the hands of the bottom of the ninth, and Trey Lipscomb answered the bell after smashing a first-pitch homer 453 feet to straightaway center, tying the score at 5-5. CF Robert Hassell III walked to represent the game-winning run, and Yohandy Morales kept the momentum going with a line drive single to left field. At a full count, Abimelec Ortiz shattered a 434-foot three-run walk-off home run to deliver the ninth consecutive Red Wings victory at 8-5.
RHP Andry Lara started on the mound for Rochester. The Venezuelan native put in 6.0 innings of work, allowing three runs on five hits while racking up four strikeouts and one walk. He also logged a pickoff that ended the top of the fifth. Rehabbing RHP Cole Henry replaced Lara in the seventh. The former second-round pick pitched 1.0 perfect inning and logged one strikeout in 17 pitches. RHP Jack Sinclair replaced Henry early in the eighth. The right-hander allowed two runs on two hits and threw one strikeout across 1.0 full inning. RHP Seth Shuman replaced Sinclair at the top of the ninth. The former Oakland Athletic kept the door open for the Red Wings in his 13-strike effort, throwing 23 pitches that led to two groundouts and a strikeout, while walking one across 1.0 hitless frame.
The Rochester Red Wings Player of the Game is 1B Abimelec Ortiz. The 24-year-old from Puerto Rico batted in four runs and logged two hits that included a double in the third, and a three-run walk-off homer to win game one. Ortiz has now launched four homers over his last three games, in five in his last five dating back to May 20.
After a rare off-day on Tuesday, Rochester will be looking to produce their first 10-game winning streak since 1992 as they play their Western N.Y rival again in game two of the series on Wednesday at 11:05 A.M. RHP Riley Cornelio will take the ball for the Red Wings against Mets southpaw Zach Thornton.
Find the box score attached HERE.
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