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Jordan Groshans’ first home run in a RailRiders uniform came at an especially big moment.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre had surrendered the lead in the top of the eighth Wednesday against Lehigh Valley and was headed toward a rough start to the week.
That’s when Groshans stepped in with two outs and a man on in the home half, sending a full-count pitch over the fence in left center to deliver a 5-4 win over the IronPigs at PNC Field.
Groshans’ late heroics helped the RailRiders rebound from a series-opening 7-1 loss to their rivals on Tuesday.
A back-and-forth game saw Scranton/Wilkes-Barre take a 3-2 lead after four innings.
T.J. Rumfield knocked in a pair of runs with a double in the first and a single in the third. Josh VanMeter’s sacrifice fly in the fourth put the RailRiders on top. But Lehigh Valley tied it up in the fifth on a solo shot by Scott Kingery.
The IronPigs moved in front in the top of the eighth on a Jordan Luplow RBI single before Groshans struck later in the frame, fouling off a pair of two-strike pitches to stay alive with two outs and come through with the game-winning blast.
Duane Underwood Jr. allowed a two-out single in the ninth before getting a grounder to second to pick up the save. Jake Cousins got the win in relief, getting four outs in the seventh and eighth despite giving up the go-ahead run.
Rumfield finished 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBI while Groshans had two hits.
RailRiders starter Yoendrys Gomez went three innings, giving up two runs on three hits to go with a walk and a strikeout.
The six-game series against the IronPigs continues Thursday in Moosic with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m.