The Rochester Red Wings (1-0) were victorious in their return to the postseason, 4-3, over the Memphis Redbirds (0-1). SS Seaver King recorded three of Rochester’s 10 hits, including a go-ahead solo home run in the fifth inning. Seven Red Wing pitchers saw time on the mound, with RHP Joe Glassey earning the game one win.
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SS Seaver King opened up game one with a leadoff single, followed by a double from 2B Trey Lipscomb to put the first two Rochester runners in scoring position. After a popout, DH Riley Adams knocked a sacrifice fly to score King, giving the Wings an early 1-0 lead.
Memphis would get on the board in the bottom of the second frame, as LF Zach Levenson hit a solo home run over the left-field wall to knot the game at one.
After a pair of scoreless innings from both sides, Seaver King led off the fifth inning with a first-pitch, solo home run. The first homer of his minor league postseason career would put Rochester back in front, 2-1.
The Red Wing offense turned up the heat their next time up, as they kicked off the sixth inning with three straight hits. RF Leandro Pineda knocked a first-pitch double, CF Andrew Pinckney followed with a double of his own to score Pineda, and LF Sam Petersen hit a first-pitch single to place runners on the corners. C Maxwell Romero Jr. recorded a sacrifice fly to score Pinckney, increasing the Rochester lead to 4-1.
C Jimmy Crooks quickly trimmed the Rochester lead to two with a solo home run to center field. Still without an out, Memphis quickly loaded the bases with a double by RF Ramon Mendoza and two consecutive walks from DH Bligh Madris and RF Chase Davis, respectively. Rochester would find their way out of the dangerous situation by striking out Levenson and turning a double play to keep the game at 4-2 after six innings.
The Redbirds didn’t go down without a fight, however, as 1B Trey Paige started the bottom of the ninth with a leadoff single. CF Colton Ledbetter drew a walk to place runners on first and second. An RBI single from C Jimmy Crooks scored Paige to make it a one-run ballgame. Now with two outs and a pair of Redbird runners in scoring position, a massive strikeout from RHP Kyle Nicolas sealed the 4-3 victory for the Red Wings.
Opening the postseason on the mound for Rochester was LHP Matt Krook, who conceded one home run and one walk, while striking out two in 2.0 innings of work. First out of the bullpen for the Red Wings was RHP Joe Glassey, throwing 2.0 scoreless innings with one strikeout and a walk each. RHP Max Kranick came on for 1.0 inning, allowing one home run on three hits and a walk. Up next on the hill for 1.0 inning was RHP Erick Mejia, recording one strikeout and a walk apiece. RHP Eddy Yean entered after the seventh-inning stretch, pitching one hitless inning with one walk. RHP Justin Lawrence came on for 0.2 innings, allowing one hit and two walks while punching out a pair of Redbird hitters. RHP Kyle Nicolas recorded the save with one run allowed on two hits and a walk, while tossing a trio of strikeouts in the final 1.1 innings of the ballgame.
The Rochester Red Wings Player of the Game is SS Seaver King. The 2024 Nationals’ first-rounder went 3-for-4 at the plate, highlighted by a fifth-inning, solo home run to give the Wings a 2-1 lead. King also recorded an RBI and scored two runs of his own in his Triple-A postseason debut.
Game two of the IL Championship series is slated for a 7:45 p.m. start on Wednesday night. RHP Isaac Lyon will make his minor league postseason debut in just his fifth start as a Red Wing. On the other side, Memphis will counter with LHP Mason Molina.
Find the box score attached HERE.
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