Tired of ads? Subscribers enjoy a distraction-free reading experience.
Click here to subscribe today or Login.

It’s not quite over yet. Not if the Lehigh Valley IronPigs can help it.

Ben Lively shut out the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on one hit over six innings Tuesday in an 8-0 victory at Coca-Cola Park. Cody Asche and Andrew Knapp broke the game open with back-to-back, two-run doubles as Lehigh Valley stayed in the race for the International League North Division title.

Lively was masterful in shutting down Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s high-powered offense, limiting the RailRiders to Cito Culver’s third-inning single. Ben Gamel had the RailRiders’ second hit when he singled off IronPigs reliever Elvis Araujo in a scoreless seventh inning, and three other Lehigh Valley relievers completed the shutout.

After Araujo left, the RailRiders left the bases loaded in the final two innings without scoring a run.

Jesmuel Valentin hammered a two-run homer in the Lehigh Valley eighth to set the final score as Lehigh Valley pulled back within four games of the IronPigs in the IL North after dropping the series opener between the teams Monday night.

Holding a 2-0 lead, the IronPigs loaded the bases in the seventh inning on Valentin’s single, a double by Nick Williams and an intentional walk to Darin Ruf. Asche then laced a double to left that scored Valentin and Williams to double Lehigh Valley’s lead. Knapp followed with another two-run double, scoring Ruf and Asche as the IronPigs went on top, 6-0.

The IronPigs broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning, when Brock Stassi doubled, was sacrificed to third base and scored on J.P. Crawford’s sacrifice fly.

Stassi doubled Lehigh Valley’s lead in the sixth inning when he singled home Ruf for a 2-0 IronPigs advantage.

The RailRiders loaded the bases against reliever Patrick Schuster in the eighth inning, when Kyle Higashioka doubled and Culver and Mason Williams both walked. But Luis Garcia came on to work out of the jam when inducing Clint Frazier’s inning-ending forceout.

Lehigh Valley ended all suspense in the bottom of the inning when Valentin followed Cedric Hunter’s single with a two-run blast over the left field wall.

The RailRiders threatened again in the ninth, when Rob Refsnyder, Donovan Solano and Jake Cave singled to fill the bases for a second straight inning. But IronPigs reliever Delier Hinojosa preserved the shutout by fanning Higashioka and retiring Pete Kozma on a fly to end the game.

Lehigh Valley 8, RailRiders 0

RailRiders`AB`R`H`BI

Williams dh`3`0`0`0

Frazier rf`4`0`0`0

Refsnyder 3b`4`0`1`0

Gamel cf`4`0`1`0

Solano 2b`4`0`1`0

Cave lf`4`0`1`0

Higoshioka c`4`0`1`0

Kozma ss`4`0`0`0

Culver 1b`2`0`1`0

Totals`33`0`6`0

IronPigs`AB`R`H`BI

Featherston 3b`4`0`1`0

Crawford ss`4`0`1`1

Willaims cf`5`1`2`0

Ruf lf-1b`4`1`1`2

Asche 1b-lf`4`1`1`2

Knapp c`3`0`1`2

Stassi dh`3`1`2`1

Hunter rf`3`1`1`0

Valentin 2b`3`2`2`2

Totals`32`8`12`8

RailRiders`000`000`000 — 0

IronPigs`000`011`42x — 8

2B — Higashioka; Stassi, Williams, Asche, Knapp. HR — Valentin.

RailRiders`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Lail, L (6-5)`5.2`5`2`2`4`2

Coke`1`4`4`4`1`3

Webb`1.1`3`2`2`0`2

IronPigs`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Lively, W (9-5)`6`1`0`0`0`1

Araujo, H (2)`1`1`0`0`0`0

Schuster`0.2`1`0`0`2`2

Garcia`0.1`0`0`0`0`0

Hinojosa`1`3`0`0`0`2

https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_2007_swb_railriders-alternate-2013-3.jpg.optimal.jpg

Times Leader

Reach Times Leader sports at 570-829-7143 or on Twitter @TLSports