A two-out error in the bottom of the 10th inning enable the winning run to score and give the Lehigh Valley IronPigs a 6-5 victory over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on Friday night at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown.
Dylan Carlson pinch-ran for Bryan De La Cruz as the automatic runner to start the bottom of the 10th. Robert Moore grounded out to move Carlson to third. RailRiders pitcher Danny Watson got Carter Kieboom to fly out to shallow center field for the second out. But Christian Cairo hit a ground ball into the hole that shortstop George Lombard Jr. bobbled on the transfer for an error and Carlson scored.
In the top of the third, the RailRiders jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Kendey Corona walked and Lombard doubled. Yanquiel Fernandez had a RBI groundout to score Corona and Lombard came home on a wild pitch.
Lehigh Valley answered with two outs in the bottom of the third against starter Carlos Lagrange. Steward Berroa and Felix Reyes singled and De La Cruz homered to put the IronPigs in front, 3-2.
It didn’t take long for the RailRiders (25-22) to reclaim the lead. In the top of the fourth, Singles by Seth Brown, Jonathan Ornelas and Duke Ellis loaded the bases with one out. Corona grounded into a fielder’s choice that forced out Brown at home. But Lombard delivered a two-run single to make it 4-3.
Back came the IronPigs in the bottom of the fifth. Reyes and De La Cruz singled and Moore walked to load the bases. Kieboom was hit by a pitch to force home the tying run. Cairo walked to bring in the go-ahead run, 5-4.
Fernandez led off the top of the seventh with a home run to tie the game for the RailRiders, 5-5. It was his fourth home run in the series and 13th of the season.
Lagrange allowed five runs on seven hits in five innings with three walks and five strikeouts. Yerry De Los Santos and Eric Reyzelman combined for three shutout innings of relief. Danny Watson (3-2) was tagged with the loss, allowing an unearned run and no hits in 1.2 innings with no walks and two strikeouts.
On Saturday at 6:35 p.m., the series continues with Elmer Rodriguez (1-2, 1.38) starting for the RailRiders against IronPigs righty Chuck King (1-3, 5.32).