Randolph's late homer snaps RailRiders' winning streak

May 13—MOOSIC — Lehigh Valley scored once in the first inning, then couldn't get another run across until the ninth.

That was enough to end the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders' winning streak.

After the RailRiders manufactured a two-run rally in the bottom of the eighth, Lehigh Valley's Cornelius Randolph launched a go-ahead, two-run homer into the RailHouse in right field in the top of the ninth. Reliever Mauricio Llovera stranded the tying run at third in the bottom of the inning, and the IronPigs held on for a 3-2 win Wednesday at PNC Field.

The two runs tied the lowest output of the season for the RailRiders. The other time that happened was opening day against Syracuse, which was also the last time they loss.

"It took very good pitching," RailRiders manager Doug Davis said.

Lehigh Valley starter Bailey Falter led the way, facing the minimum over the first three innings, during which the southpaw struck out four in a row at one point. The RailRiders managed just three hits in five innings against Falter and only had multiple runners on base once, in the fourth inning. Falter got out of that jam by getting Ryan LaMarre to ground out.

Socrates Brito started the fifth inning with a double, but the 24-year-old Falter got the next three batters in order, striking out Max McDowell and Armando Alvarez to end his day. He struck out seven overall and walked just one.

"We faced Falter before in the alternate site, and he threw the ball really well against us there," Davis said. "He threw the ball really well against us tonight. Both teams struggled a little bit with the vision with the glare out in center field and the shadows around home plate and the mound and the infield. That took a little while for everyone to get adjusted, but it was mostly him. I mean, he threw the ball extremely well."

Major league rehabber Archie Bradley, who signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies in the offseason, was the first out of the Lehigh Valley bullpen and wasted little time sitting down the RailRiders in order in the sixth, his only inning of work. They had more chances against David Paulino, putting two runners on in the seventh before finally breaking through in the eighth.

Alvarez walked and went first to third on Greg Allen's grounder that snuck through the right side. It set up sacrifice flies by Andrew Velazquez and a go-ahead one by Miguel Andújar, with Velazquez's dying a few feet short of a the wall and a three-run homer.

The RailRiders' pitching went nearly as smoothly, with one hiccup.

After starter Brody Koerner reached his pitch count in the fourth inning, Davis tried to bring in Addison Russ to get out of a two-on, two-out jam. While Russ was making his warmup pitches on the mound, the umpires started talking to Davis while looking at their lineup cards. Russ was not on the one they were given, so he couldn't pitch and had to exit the game.

"The Russ pitching change was the manager not putting Russ on the official lineup card that the umpires got," said Davis, taking full responsibility for the mistake. "Under normal circumstances up to this year, all you really have to have is nine guys, the the nine guys that are starting and everybody else as long as they're on the roster. But but because we have more than 28 players, I've got to have 28 active. And I happen to leave him off. Not sure why. I doublecheck that thing just because I don't want that situation to happen. But I'm sure I'm not going to be the only person that happens to, but hopefully it'll be the last time that happens to us."

Braden Bristo got the call instead and continued a strong night by the RailRiders arms. Koerner allowed just one run, and it came two batters into the game on Ronald Torreyes' double that scored Travis Jankowski from second.

Bristo pitched 1 1/3 innings of scoreless ball, walking three and striking out two. Nick Nelson struck out two in his inning of work and Trevor Lane allowed just a single in the seventh.

Nick Goody came on for the eighth and blew through the heart of the Lehigh Valley order, striking out Mickey Moniak, Austin Listi and Darick Hall. He stretched the strikeout streak to four by sitting down C.J. Chatham to start the ninth and was two outs away from securing another win for SWB. But Edgar Cabral worked a walk, then Randolph got a hanging breaking ball and slugged it out to right for a 3-2 lead.

Ryan LaMarre gave the RailRiders a shot to at least tie the game in the bottom of the ninth, rocketing a double to the gap in right-center field off Llovera. He moved to third on a groundout. Lehigh Valley then intentionally walked Rob Brantly, setting Llovera up to face the Nos. 8 and 9 hitters, Max McDowell and Alvarez. Llovera fired a 3-2 pitch past McDowell for the second out, then got Alvarez to fly out to right to end the game.

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