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Ramon Torres had played in plenty of Triple-A games in recent years. Just not in 2019.

The infielder had spent nearly all of this season at Double-A Birmingham. After this series, the RailRiders would have greatly preferred he had stayed there for another week.

Torres hammered Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for the second straight night on Thursday, coming through with the tiebreaking hit in the ninth inning that helped Charlotte finish off a three-game sweep with a 7-4 win at PNC Field.

Hitting ninth for the Knights, Torres finished with twice as many hits as the entire RailRiders lineup, going 4-for-4 with three runs and three RBI. He homered for the second straight night to help start a rally from a 4-0 deficit and then put Charlotte ahead with a run-scoring double in the ninth.

In two games against the RailRiders, Torres went 7-for-9 with six RBI.

The RailRiders opened the game with two walks and a three-run homer from Thairo Estrada in the bottom of the first. Their only other hit was a Wendell Rijo solo shot in the second, as they managed just three baserunners in the final seven innings, none of whom advanced past first base.

Despite a 4-0 lead and an impressive Triple-A debut on the mound from Brian Keller, the RailRiders bullpen gave up five runs in the final two frames. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (64-52) led 4-2 when Keller exited after seven.

The 25-year-old allowed just three hits with two earned runs, four walks and three strikeouts against a Knights lineup that scored 24 runs in the three-game set.

But the bullpen couldn’t make it stand up, as Will Carter came on in the eighth and surrendered a two-run homer to Luis Robert that tied the game. Carter walked two batters in the ninth to set up Torres’ go-ahead double, then gave up a two-run single to Nick Madrigal that made it 7-4 to tag Carter with the loss.

Not even the presence of a New York Yankees All-Star was enough to help.

Gary Sanchez completed his two-game rehab stint with the team by going 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored in the bottom of the first. The RailRiders got a three

As he did on Wednesday, Sanchez batted second and played seven innings behind the plate before being replaced by Francisco Arcia in the eighth.

He also managed a little redemption against the Knights’ Madrigal, whose steal attempt late in Wednesday’s loss led to a Sanchez throwing error that was part of a big inning for Charlotte. On Thursday, Sanchez threw him out while trying to swipe second.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said at the start of the week that the plan was for Sanchez, who was returning from a groin strain, to hopefully rejoin the big club for the weekend.

Sanchez going up could mean Kyle Higashioka could be on his way back down. Higashioka had a career highlight on Wednesday in Baltimore when he clubbed two home runs and drove in five for New York.

Regardless, things wont be getting any easier for the RailRiders. Now 2-4 on their nine-game homestand, they will welcome league-leading Gwinnett to Moosic for a weekend series. First pitch Friday is set for 7:05 p.m.

Riding the rails

A pair of pitchers landed on the seven-day injured list prior to the game. Reliever Domingo Acevedo was placed there retroactive to Wednesday. The starter on Wednesday, Daniel Camarena, hit the list on Thursday.

Fellow lefty Stephen Tarpley continued his frequent shuffling to and from New York when he reported to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre ahead of Thursday’s game.

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By Derek Levarse

dlevarse@www.timesleader.com