Scranton/Wilkes-Barre drops series to Lehigh Valley

Moosic, Pa. – The RailRiders lost three straight and were outscored 26-14 in their three-game series with the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs this weekend. 

Down 1-0 going into the fifth during Friday’s game, Breyvic Valera notched an RBI single in the top of the fifth inning to tie the game up. Two more runs came in on a triple by Tyler Wade, allowing the RailRiders to take a 3-1 lead over the Iron Pigs. Lehigh Valley ended up notching another run in the bottom of the fifth, but SWB was able to maintain a one-run lead. That lead lasted until the seventh inning when Jonathan Holder was called in to relieve Adonis Rosa. A handful of singles and a sacrifice fly by Ali Castillo allowed the Iron Pigs to tie the game back up. 

The eighth inning would eventually be the downfall for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Malquin Canelo started off the inning with a single for the Iron Pigs and a sacrifice bunt allowed him to advance to second. Danny Coulombe was then brought in to face Andrew Romine. Romine roped a ground ball that Logan Morrison caught on a diving play but his throw to first was off target, allowing Canelo to cross home plate. That run would end up being the game winning run for the Iron Pigs. Before Friday, the RailRiders were 38-0 when leading after six innings. 

Shane Robinson, a former RailRider who did not record a homerun in 188 at-bats in 2018, recorded two home runs and five RBIs for Lehigh Valley in their 12-3 win over SWB on Saturday. 

The RailRiders didn’t record their first run until the fifth inning when Ryan Lidge singled and Mike Ford followed with an RBI double. Lehigh Valley racked up four more runs in the bottom of the fifth, giving them a 7-1 lead. The last two runs for the RailRiders came in the top of the eighth. Mike Ford hit a solo shot and Morrison hit an RBI single to round up the last of the scoring for SWB. Lehigh Valley would go on to win 12-3. 

SWB started out on top in the final game of the series on Sunday, but a big four run fourth stopped the team right in its tracks. 

The RailRiders brought in one run in the first on a Clint Frazier RBI double, but Lehigh Valley answered the next inning when Nick Williams hit a solo home run to tie the game. RBIs by Mike Ford and Tyler Wade brought in three more runs in the top of the fourth, but the bottom of the fourth was a game changer.

The Iron Pigs loaded the bases and consequently brought in four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, giving themselves the lead for the first time that game. Morrison hit a two-run homerun in the top of the seventh to tie the game back up, but the Iron Pigs again had another four-run inning in the bottom of the seventh to run away with the lead. 

This marks the third three-game losing streak of the season for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.