Seventh Inning Nightmare Dooms Red Wings in 10-6 Loss to Toledo

By Christopher Drummond

ROCHESTER, N.Y.— For six innings Thursday night, the Rochester Red Wings appeared poised to even their series with Toledo.

Then came a seventh inning they would rather forget.

The Toledo Mud Hens erupted for five runs despite collecting just one hit in the frame, taking advantage of five Rochester walks and a string of costly mistakes to rally past the Red Wings for a 10-6 victory at Innovative Field.

The loss gives Toledo control of the series and leaves Rochester searching for answers with three games remaining this weekend.

"You can't look at their record," Red Wings manager Matthew LeCroy said afterward. "They're tough outs, very similar to our lineup. They work you, and if you make a mistake, they make you pay. They had our number tonight."

Toledo struck first when Jace Jung launched a towering solo home run to center field, his 12th homer of the season, giving the Mud Hens an early 1-0 lead.

Rochester answered and eventually moved in front behind one of its most reliable hitters. Trey Lipscomb delivered a two-run double — his 13th extra-base hit of the season — helping the Red Wings build a 3-2 advantage entering the seventh inning.

That's when the game turned.

The top of the seventh quickly spiraled out of control for Rochester's pitching staff. Five walks, mounting pressure, and an inability to record key outs allowed Toledo to seize momentum without needing much hard contact.

Making his Rochester debut, reliever Robert Cranz was summoned in an attempt to stop the damage. Instead, the inning continued to unravel as the Mud Hens pushed across additional runs and transformed a one-run deficit into a commanding lead.

By the end of the inning, Toledo had scored five times and completely flipped the game.

The Mud Hens added two more runs in the eighth, stretching their advantage to 10-4 and seemingly putting the contest out of reach.

To Rochester's credit, the offense didn't go quietly.

Abimelec Ortiz continued his recent power surge in the ninth inning, blasting his 10th home run of the season and his second in as many games. Consecutive RBI hits from Phillip Glasser and Yohandy Morales trimmed the deficit to four runs and briefly energized the crowd.

But the comeback attempt ended there.

With two runners aboard, Ortiz grounded out to close the game and secure Toledo's 10-6 victory.

Beyond the scoreline, the game featured several unusual moments.

Rochester committed multiple defensive miscues, while play was stopped on more than one occasion because headlights from vehicles beyond the outfield affected visibility for hitters at the plate.

Perhaps the strangest sequence came when Seaver King appeared headed for an extra-base hit. Instead, his batted ball struck teammate Christian Franklin on the basepaths, resulting in an out and abruptly ending a promising scoring opportunity.

The defeat drops Rochester deeper into a hole in a series few expected to be this challenging. Despite Toledo entering the night below .500, the Mud Hens have consistently capitalized on mistakes and controlled key moments through the first three games.

Now, the Red Wings will need a strong finish over the final three contests to avoid dropping the series at home.

Rochester returns to action Friday night, with first pitch scheduled for 6:45 p.m.