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After falling a run short in each of their first two games in Toledo, the RailRiders weren’t messing around at the plate on Thursday.
All nine players in the lineup recorded at least one hit as Scranton/Wilkes-Barre racked up 17 in all to power a 7-2 win over the Mud Hens at Fifth Third Field. Five RailRiders pitchers matched that with 17 total strikeouts.
Seven of those hits went for extra bases. Estevan Florial (double), Miguel Andujar (RBI) and Armando Alvarez (home run, two RBIs) all finished with three hits apiece. Greg Bird (RBI) and Rob Brantly (two doubles, two RBIs) each had two hits.
After Brantly and Andujar each drove in a run in the top of the second inning, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre broke things open in the fourth.
Brantly hit his second double of the night to make it 3-0 and scored on Alvarez’s home run to left, his sixth of the season. Chris Owings added an RBI single in the frame to push the lead to 6-0.
Toledo got on the board in the home half of the fourth thanks to a Ryan Kreidler solo home run. But the Mud Hens could only manage one more run on the night when John Valente knocked one in to make 6-2 in the seventh.
Bird got that run back for the RailRiders in the eighth on an RBI single to right.
All the firepower was more than enough to support starter Ken Waldichuk, who went five innings for the win. Waldichuk had a strong outing, allowing one run on five hits and struck out eight without allowing a walk.
Zach Greene, Michael Gomez, Jimmy Cordero and Greg Weissert each threw an inning in relief with Greene and Cordero both striking out the side.
The series continues Friday in Toledo at 7:05 p.m.