The One That Got Away

By Christopher Drummond

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Red Wings dropped the opening game of their seven-game homestand Tuesday night, falling 6-5 in 10 innings to the Worcester WooSox in a game that slipped away at the very last moment.

To borrow a phrase from a popular song, this was the one that got away.

For much of the evening, Rochester appeared firmly in control. The Red Wings carried a three-run lead into the ninth inning and were one out away from securing the victory before disaster struck.

Runs were hard to come by early as both offenses struggled to generate traffic on the bases. Rochester starter Chandler Champlain turned in a strong bounce-back performance, continuing his streak of scoreless innings after suffering a loss in his previous outing.

The game's deadlock was finally broken when Robert Hassell III launched a solo home run, his second of the season, giving Rochester a 1-0 advantage.

Worcester answered to even the score at 1-1, but the Red Wings quickly regained control. An RBI groundout restored the lead before Abimelec Ortiz crushed his 11th home run of the season, helping Rochester build a 4-1 cushion heading into the ninth inning.

Then everything changed.

Reliever Eddy Yean entered the game and recorded two outs, leaving Worcester down to its final batter. But with the game hanging in the balance, Matt Lloyd delivered the biggest swing of the night, blasting a game-tying three-run home run to left field and stunning the Rochester crowd.

As if the dramatic turnaround wasn't enough, heavy rain arrived shortly afterward, forcing an 85-minute delay. Many fans headed for the exits, but a handful of loyal supporters remained to see how the night would end.

When play resumed, Rochester was unable to push across the winning run in the bottom of the ninth, sending the game into extra innings.

The WooSox carried their momentum into the 10th inning, scoring two more runs to take a 6-4 lead. Worcester had now scored five unanswered runs over the final two frames.

Still reeling from the ninth-inning collapse, Rochester refused to go quietly. Yohandy Morales brought home a run with an RBI groundout to trim the deficit to 6-5 and put the tying run within reach.

With two runners aboard, Brady House stepped to the plate and nearly became the hero. The Red Wings' top prospect drove a deep fly ball to center field, but Worcester's center fielder tracked it down on the warning track for the final out, ending Rochester's comeback bid.

After the game, manager Matthew LeCroy reflected on the heartbreaking defeat.

"It was just unfortunate," LeCroy said. "You have to tip your cap to Lloyd for a great hit, but we had our opportunities and just didn't finish. We put ourselves in a great spot to win the game. House hit a great ball, but the guy made an incredible catch."

The blown save was Yean's second consecutive missed opportunity, though the loss dropped Rochester to just 25 defeats through its first 63 games of the season.

The Red Wings will look to bounce back Wednesday night when they host Worcester in Game 2 of the seven-game series.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m.

This version keeps your original reporting intact while adding stronger transitions, cleaner pacing, and a more dramatic narrative arc around the ninth-inning collapse.