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There wouldn’t be a second straight tough loss. Not if Kyle Higashioka could help it.

Not 24 hours after allowing eight unanswered runs in the final two innings, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre shook off Friday’s miserable finish with the help of two home runs from Higashioka to beat Louisville 5-4 on Saturday at PNC Field.

The veteran catcher opened the scoring with a homer in the second and then blasted a two-run shot as part of a four-run fourth inning to put the RailRiders ahead for good. The second long ball proved to be the winning hit, as Louisville once again mounted a late rally.

Scott Schebler led off the ninth with a home run against reliever David Sosebee — the fifth ninth-inning home run allowed by the RailRiders’ bullpen in two nights. But the right-hander rebounded to retire the next three batters to pick up his sixth save of the season.

Not the prettiest of finishes. But infinitely better than how Friday night ended.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (57-42) had taken a comfortable 6-0 lead into the ninth of the series opener, only to watch the Bats slam four home runs in the frame to tie the game before adding two more in the 10th to win.

On Saturday, Higashioka came up with three of the RailRiders’ 10 hits, including his 15th and 16th home runs of the season. Breyvic Valera added three hits of his own, and Thairo Estrada drove in the team’s other two runs.

Domingo Acevedo earned the win, pitching 3.2 innings of relief, allowing two earned runs on three hits with four strikeouts and no walks.

He entered in the fourth inning after Louisville (38-61) helped make sure that Deivi Garcia’s second Triple-A start was a short one. The highly regarded 20-year-old prospect managed to pitch out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the second before giving up a run in the third.

By that point, however, Garcia had already thrown 75 pitches. And the lingering humidity likely didn’t help matters, as the decision was made to end his night early. Garcia gave up three hits and an earned run in his three innings and had some command issues, walking four to go with four strikeouts.

Acevedo took over and saw the Bats break a 1-1 tie with a pair of singles and a Blake Trahan sac fly in the fourth. But things quickly turned around in the home half, as the RailRiders’ first seven batters reached, scoring four runs.

Clint Frazier walked and Tyler Wade doubled, putting runners on second and third for Estrada, who promptly doubled them both home.

Higashioka then launched a 1-0 pitch out to right-center to put Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in front 5-2.

The only mild concern — given how Friday night’s game ended — was that the RailRiders could have scored a lot more in the fourth. After the homer, Valera doubled, Ryan McBroom singled and Trey Amburgey drew a walk to load the bases with no outs.

That was enough to chase Louisville starter Tejay Antone. But his replacement, Joe Mantiply, quickly ended the threat, striking out Terrance Gore before getting Mike Ford to line into an unassisted double play at first.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre loaded the bases again in the sixth, highlighted by an Amburgey double. But Mantiply came through with another escape act when Ford flied out to left for the third out.

Trahan, who delivered the game-winning hit on Friday for the Bats, continued his big series with his first home run of the season in the seventh to cut the lead to 5-3, setting up some more tension in the ninth.

The rubber match with the Bats will start at 1:05 p.m. Sunday. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre will then have Monday off before heading west for a six-game road trip to Columbus and Louisville.

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By Derek Levarse

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