RailRiders outlast Jumbo Shrimp
The RailRiders held a four-run lead in the eighth inning and held on to secure a 10-9 victory over the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp on Saturday at 121 Financial Ballpark for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's fifth straight win.
Carlos Narvaez hit a two-run homer to left center to give the RailRiders a 2-0 lead in the first.
The Jumbo Shrimp responded in the bottom half, when Troy Johnston had an RBI infield single and Will Banfield followed with a three-run homer to left to give Jacksonville a 4-2 advantage.
Greg Allen tied it in the top of the second with a two-run homer to center, and Kevin Smith's three-run homer in the top of the third gave the RailRiders a 7-4 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, Victor Mesa Jr.'s RBI single scored two to cut the RailRiders' lead to 7-6.
However, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre stretched the lead again. Oscar Gonzalez hit a solo homer to left in the fifth, and Everson Pereira tacked on a two-run homer in the sixth for a 10-6 advantage.
The Jumbo Shrimp started a two-out rally in the eighth, with RBI singles from Mesa, Jake Burger and Johnston to cut the RailRiders' lead to 10-9. That's when Phil Bickford replaced Art Warren. Bickford threw a wild pitch and then loaded the bases with a walk. But, he got Griffin Conine to pop out and end the inning. Then he locked down the save, striking out two in the ninth.
The RailRiders will go for the series sweep Sunday at 3:05 p.m.
