Wings Lose Extra-Inning Slugfest

Shelley Duncans two-run double in the 13th inning boosted Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to a 17-14 win over the Red Wings, on an otherwise beautiful day at Frontier Field Saturday. The Wings loss gave the club an eight-game losing streak. Duncans hit just eluded the glove of Rochester center fielder Dustin Martin, and resulted in two Scranton runners crossing the plate within footsteps of each other. Carmen Pignatiello, the sixth Red Wings pitcher, took the loss (0-1)and made a winner out of Anthony Claggett (2-0). Rochester had battled back to tie the score in the 10th, 11th and 12th innings. The Wings had a total of 19 hits, with every batter in the lineup getting at least one hit. Luke Hughes and Matt Macri each had a pair of homers, and Justin Huber homered in his first at-bat of the season for the Red Wings. With two outs in the 12th inning against Armando Gabino, Chris Malec - playing in his first Triple-A game - brought home Eric Duncan with a go ahead run. But Macri blasted a home run off Claggett to tie the game at 14-14. Hughes followed with a triple, but Claggett escaped the jam and the game stayed tied. Shelley Duncans one-out single off Gabino in the 11th inning had given Scranton/Wilkes-Barre a 13-12 lead. The Wings had the tying run at second base with none out in the bottom of the 11th, after Dustin Martin blooped a double down the left field line against Claggett. Trevor Plouffes groundout to second base moved Martin to third, then Martin was hung up between home and third on a grounder to short by David Winfree. But Winfree avoided the tag in the rundown, and Winfree hustled to second base. Brock Peterson was walked intentionally to load the bases. Jeff Christys squibber to second base allowed Winfree to score the tying run and move the game to the 12th. Juan Miranda had greeted Gabino with a home run over the center field wall in the top of the 10th inning, putting the Yankees up 12-11 after trailing 11-7 after seven innings. But with closer Brett Tomko on the mound in the bottom of the 12th, Peterson smashed a home run off the top of the left field videoboard to knot things up at 12-12. Petersons homer, on a 3-1 pitch, was Rochesters fifth of the game. Starter Reid Santos took the mound for the Red Wings in search of his first victory of the season on Saturday. Kei Igawa got the call for the Yankees, looking to improve to 3-0 on the season. Igawa came into the game with 21 career wins at Scranton, six shy of the career franchise record for the Yankees. Santos got into trouble early after he walked the first two batters of the game and gave up a towering three-run homer to Shelly Duncan, giving the Yankees the 3-0 lead in the first. The Wings offense got a much needed boost with the addition of Huber to the roster on Saturday. Huber was activated after beginning the season on temporary inactive list because of a visa issue. Huber made his Rochester debut in grand fashion, drilling a two-run homer to left field in his first at-bat in the Twins organization. Huber, who spent time with the San Diego Padres last season, was the first Red Wings player to hit a home run in his first at bat since Terry Tiffee accomplished the feet on Opening Day in 2004. Macri and Hughes got the offense going again in the bottom of the third, hitting back-to-back homers to give the Wings a 4-3 advantage. Macri took Igawa out to left and Hughes followed with a bomb of his own to straight away center. It was the third time the Wings hit back-to-back homers this season and the first since opening day. Huber continued his hot debut, doubling off the top of the right field wall. Huber was laboring while advancing to second and was forced to leave the game with a pulled hamstring. Martin hit a bloop single to center to score Matt Tolbert who was pinch-running for Huber. Santos left the bases loaded in the fourth and was aided by two highlight reel defensive plays from Peterson and Macri. Peterson made a leaping catch at first for the first out of the inning and Macri made a behind-the-back toss to second to nab the lead-runner for out number two. Santos stuck out Doug Bernier to end the threat. Hughes was at it again in the fourth. After Drew Butera and Jason Pridie both singled to begin the inning, Hughes took Igawa out to deep left to give the Wings the 8-3 lead. The three-run shot was Hughes second homer of the game. Santos got into trouble again in the fifth, surrendering three runs on three hits. Ben Julianel relieved Santos with two outs and a man on second. Julianel gave up a run-scoring single allowing the Yankees to cut the deficit to 8-6. Scranton cashed in another run on a series of mental errors by the Wings. Julianel threw a wild pitch and Butera made matters worse by launching the ball into center field, allowing the runner to take third. Julianel threw another wild pitch allowing the runner to score to make the score 8-7. Rochester answered in the bottom of the inning. Winfree continued to swing the bat effectively, hitting a two-out single. Peterson would cash Winfree in with a RBI double to deep center field. Butera made up for his defensive miscue by knocking in Peterson with a RBI single to give the Wings a 10-7 lead. Mike Gosling relieved Julianel in sixth and retired the side in order. The Wings continued their offensive onslaught in the sixth. Tolbert hit a two out double to deep left-center and Martin knocked him in with a single giving the Wings another insurance run and a 11-7 lead. Scranton cut into the Wings lead in the eighth. Gosling struck out the leadoff batter but the pitch got past Butera and the batter was able to take first. Carlos Mendoza hit a bunt-single and John Rodriguez hit a RBI double down the left field line to make the score 11-8. Todd Linden added a sacrifice fly to make the score 11-9. Sean Henn relieved Gosling with two outs and a man on second. The Yankees put together a one-out, ninth inning rally against Henn, putting the tying runners on base. But Henn caught Mendoza looking for the second out, but Plouffes throwing error on Berniers ground ball allowed a run to score and make it 11-10 Wings. Rodriguez third hit of the game past the diving Hughes tied the score at 11-11. WINGS THINGS This is Rochesters first eight-game losing streak since July 24-August 5, 2002 - when Rochester tied a franchise record with 12 consecutive losses... The Wings scored 12 of their runs with two outs...Petersons 10th inning homer was the first run alowed by Tomko in six appearances this season...Huber was 2-for-2 with a homer, a double and two RBI...To make room for Huber, the Red Wings placed infielder Tommy Watkins on the disabled list with a sore right hamstring...Twins catcher Joe Mauers rehab assignment with Class A Ft. Myers continues Saturday night...Mauer went 2-4 with a double in two RBI on Friday night.