Powering Up: Late homer paces 5-3 win over Wings

Luciano homer drives SWB back into first-place tie

1:18 AM UTC
Marco Luciano's 15th SWB homer this season provided the difference on Friday night.
Marco Luciano's 15th SWB homer this season provided the difference on Friday night.Cheryl Pursell

ROCHESTER, NY (September 11, 2026) – The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders beat the Rochester Red Wings 5-3 at ESL Ballpark on Friday night. Marco Luciano’s eighth-inning home run proved to be the difference as the RailRiders evened the pivotal series at two wins apiece.

Box Score

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre opened the scoring in the second. Oswaldo Cabrera worked a one-out walk and scored on a double from Yanquiel Fernández for a 1-0 lead. It was Fernández’s 20th double and 83rd RBI this year.

Rochester tied the game in the bottom of the third on a Trey Lipscomb RBI single and took a 2-1 lead in the fourth on a run-scoring groundout.

The RailRiders tallied two in the fifth to regain the lead. Jarred Kelenic singled home Ernesto Martínez Jr., and a squeeze bunt from Max Schuemann plated Kenedy Corona for a 3-2 lead.

Cayden Wallace lofted a game-tying home run to right in the bottom of the sixth, leveling the game at 3-3.

Luciano’s 15th RailRiders’ home run of the year gave Scranton/Wilkes-Barre a 5-3 lead in the seventh. With J.C. Escarra on first, Luciano drilled a 2-0 cutter from former RailRider Matt Krook 421 feet to left-center to regain the lead.

Kyle Carr started for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and allowed a run on one hit over 2.1 innings. Xavier Rivas (1-2) worked five innings of relief for the win, allowing a pair of runs on three hits with five strikeouts. Travis MacGregor retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth on five pitches for his first save of the year. Krook (3-2) took the loss.

The RailRiders and Red Wings are essentially tied for first with eight games remaining in the 2026 season, though Scranton/Wilkes-Barre holds a .003 percentage points lead due to two fewer games played.

Adam Kloffenstein will start game five of the series for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday night against Chandler Champlain and Rochester. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 P.M. The RailRiders are on the road through Sunday and open the final homestand of the 2026 season on Tuesday, September 15, against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. Find ticket and promotional details at www.swbrailriders.com.