(ROCHESTER, NY) - The Charlotte Knights ended their six-game road trip with a pair of losses to the Rochester Red Wings by scores of 11-5 and 3-2 in a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Frontier Field.
(ROCHESTER, NY) - The Charlotte Knights ended their six-game road trip with a pair of losses to the Rochester Red Wings by scores of 11-5 and 3-2 in a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Frontier Field.
In the first game, the Knights jumped out to an early lead on Saturday night behind Paulo Orlando's solo home run in the first inning, his ninth home run with the Knights. Jon Jay added a two-run single in the third before Daniel Palka's double scored Jay and Zack Collins' sacrifice fly plated Orlando to give the Knights a 5-1 lead in the third.
However, the lead wouldn't stand as the Red Wings scored six runs off Charlotte starter Donny Roach (L, 0-3) in the third to take a 7-5 lead before rain suspended the action.
When play resumed on Sunday, Charlotte reliever Zach Thompson kept the game close with 2.1 scoreless innings. But the Charlotte offense couldn't mount a comeback. Rochester added insurance runs on a pair of two-run home runs off Knights lefty Jordan Guerrero in the eighth, capping the scoring at 11-5 Red Wings.
In the second game, the Knights again scored first on Ryan Goins' two-out RBI single in the second inning. The lead grew to 2-0 in the sixth on Adam Engel's solo home run, his seventh of the season.
That looked like it would be enough for Knights starter Justin Nicolino. After beginning the season with the Red Wings, Nicolino cruised through the opening innings against his former teammates.
However, given the chance to finish the shutout in the bottom of the seventh, Nicolino couldn't complete what he started. Jake Cave led off the inning with a solo home run and then two singles and an error loaded the bases with nobody out. LaMonte Wade then tied the game with a sacrifice fly. Carson Fulmer came in from the Charlotte bullpen and looked to send the game to extra inning by inducing a fly out for the second out. The third out would never come as Luis Arraez singled to left, giving the Red Wings a 3-2 walk-off win.
Nicolino (L, 4-3) took the loss against his old team after pitching 6.1 innings with three runs against, two earned, on seven hits with no walks and six strikeouts.
The Knights return home to begin a six-game homestand with the first of three games against the Syracuse Mets on Tuesday night. Ross Detwiler (1-2, 3.71) is scheduled to start for the Knights. Pre-game radio coverage of the 7:04 p.m. game is set for 6:50 p.m. on 730 The Game ESPN Charlotte. The "Voice of the Charlotte Knights" Matt Swierad and long-time Knights radio broadcaster Mike Pacheco will have the call for all of the action.
