Rochester Uses Big Third Inning to Fifth Straight over Lehigh Valley 13-11

By Christopher Drummond

The Rochester Red Wings turned a nightmare inning into a statement win Wednesday night, storming back from five runs down and outlasting the Lehigh Valley IronPigs 13-11 in one of the wildest games of the season at Innovative Field.

In a game that featured 24 total runs, two teams batting around, and nearly 100 minutes consumed between the second and fourth innings alone, Rochester extended its winning streak to five games by leaning on an explosive offense that refused to quit.

Lehigh Valley struck first and looked poised to run away early. After Steward Berroa opened the game with a leadoff double, Carter Kieboom followed with an RBI single to gi

ve the IronPigs a quick 1-0 lead.

But Rochester answered immediately.

Top prospect Dylan Crews electrified the home crowd in the bottom of the first, launching a two-run homer over the left-center field wall to swing the momentum and hand the Red Wings a 2-1 advantage.

That momentum disappeared just as quickly in the second inning.

The IronPigs loaded the bases with three consecutive walks, chasing Rochester starter Andry Lara after just 1 2/3 innings. Lehigh Valley capitalized in emphatic fashion, pouring across six runs in the frame to seize a commanding 7-2 lead.

For a moment, it appeared the Red Wings’ winning streak was in serious danger.

Instead, Rochester’s offense delivered its most explosive inning of the season.

Harry Ford sparked the comeback effort with an RBI single in the second before Yohandy Morales ignited the crowd in the third inning with a towering solo blast to center field. Moments later, Morales did it again.

The slugging infielder crushed his second homer of the inning, becoming just the fourth player in the history of the ballpark to record a multi-homer inning. Morales now leads the Red Wings with nine home runs and 25 RBIs, continuing what has become a breakout campaign.

The third inning turned historic for Rochester.

The Red Wings erupted for nine runs — their highest-scoring inning of the season — flipping a five-run deficit into a 12-7 lead in stunning fashion. Every batter seemed to contribute as Rochester battered IronPigs pitching with relentless pressure and timely power.

Trey Lipscomb added to the avalanche in the fourth inning with a solo homer, capping an 11-run surge across two innings and stretching the lead to 13-7.

That would prove to be just enough.

After the offensive fireworks early, both bullpens finally settled the game down. Rochester and Lehigh Valley combined to use 12 pitchers in the slugfest, with relievers from both sides grinding through critical middle innings.

Still, the IronPigs refused to disappear quietly.

Berroa delivered again late in the game with a two-run single that trimmed Rochester’s advantage to 13-9. The Lehigh Valley outfielder finished with a team-high three hits.

Then came the ninth inning drama.

Robert Moore and Dylan Carlson each drove in runs to cut the deficit to two, bringing the tying run to the plate with tension building across the stadium. With one final chance to complete the comeback, Otto Kemp stepped in representing the potential tying run.

Rochester relievers held firm.

Kemp struck out to end the game, sealing the Red Wings’ fifth consecutive victory and completing a rollercoaster night that felt more like October baseball than a midseason Triple-A matchup.

After the game, Red Wings manager Matthew LeCroy praised his club’s resilience following one of the season’s most chaotic contests.

“Man, our offense just kept battling,” LeCroy said. “Had a big nine runs in the third. That’s pretty neat. Haven’t seen one of those in a long time. There were a lot of good things, a lot of things to address, but when you win, we’ll take them as we can.”

LeCroy said he never sensed panic from his dugout, even after the six-run inning put Rochester in an early hole.

“Even though we gave up six runs, I told them after we scored that one run before our offense got going, they won’t beat us with seven runs,” he said. “That’s a testament to the work ethic of the guys to keep playing and come through.”

Ford echoed the confidence that has fueled Rochester’s recent surge.

“I thought I did great and had a lot of really good at-bats,” Ford said. “The pitchers kept us in the ballgame even though we fell behind, and we put together some good at-bats after that. Baseball is just like that sometimes. We are hitting the ball well and playing well together, stringing up these wins.”

The Red Wings will look to continue their hot streak Thursday night when they return to Innovative Field for Game 3 of the six-game series against Lehigh Valley. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.