Eight walks and three errors left the RailRiders chasing a game their offense kept trying to reclaim Thursday night. Even Jasson Domínguez’s four-hit performance could not pull them all the way back.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre outhit Jacksonville 11-6 at PNC Field, but a five-run third inning built on free passes and Kemp Alderman’s grand slam sent the RailRiders to a 7-5 loss.
Domínguez went 4-for-5 with a home run, two doubles and two RBIs. Marco Luciano added two hits, including a two-run homer, as Scranton/Wilkes-Barre repeatedly narrowed the gap. Each response ultimately ran into the damage already done.
Domínguez supplied the first jolt in the opening inning, hammering a high fastball to right-center. The ball carried to the wall and disappeared for his ninth home run, giving the RailRiders a 1-0 lead.
The offense’s preparation has been a point of emphasis for hitting coach Mike Mergenthaler.
“I think it starts with the environments. You know, these guys train really hard. They like to train in game-like environments, and they’re definitely prepared for the pitchers and know what they’re looking for to drive the ball.”
— Mike Mergenthaler, RailRiders Hitting Coach
The lead unraveled in the third. Kyle Carr opened the inning by walking Garret Forrester and Brandon Compton around an out, then gave way to Hayden Merda. After Merda retired Cam Cannarella, he walked Jonathon Long to load the bases.
Alderman punished the run of free passes. He drove a sinker the opposite way to right field for his 19th homer, a grand slam that turned a one-run RailRiders advantage into a 4-1 deficit. Merda walked Juan Matheus next, and Gage Miller’s RBI single stretched Jacksonville’s inning to five runs.
Carr took the loss after allowing two earned runs and four walks in 2 1/3 innings. Merda recorded two outs while surrendering three earned runs, four walks and two hits. Together, they accounted for all eight RailRiders walks.
Luciano began the recovery before the third inning was over. With J.C. Escarra aboard after being hit by a pitch, Luciano crushed a ball toward the right-center-field wall for his 17th homer. The two-run shot cut the deficit to 5-3 and gave the RailRiders a path back into the game.
Bradley Hanner stabilized it from there, striking out four over two scoreless innings without a walk. The final four Scranton/Wilkes-Barre pitchers combined for six innings without allowing an earned run, although the defense helped Jacksonville restore its cushion late.
Domínguez kept applying pressure. He singled in the fifth, then came up in the seventh after Duke Ellis had singled and Jarred Kelenic flied out. Domínguez lashed a line drive into left-center, hustling into second as Ellis scored to make it 5-4.
That kind of shared production is what Mergenthaler said the RailRiders seek throughout the order.
“You know, we all contribute to helping these guys become the best versions of themselves. And I think part of that is, you know, coming together as a team and putting together good at-bats up and down the lineup.”
— Mike Mergenthaler, RailRiders Hitting Coach
Jacksonville took those gains back in the eighth. Johnny Olmstead reached on an infield single and advanced to second on Tyler Hardman’s throwing error. After another out, Brendan Jones lined an RBI double into right-center. Jacksonville finished the inning with two runs and a 7-4 lead.
The RailRiders answered once more in the bottom half. Yanquiel Fernández singled, advanced on a groundout and scored on Ernesto Martinez Jr.’s ground-ball single through the middle.
Domínguez gave them one final opening in the ninth, sending a fly ball the opposite way and off the left-field wall for his second double and fourth hit. Escarra’s flyout moved him to third, but Luciano flied out and Fernández struck out to leave him there.
It was a fitting last image: the RailRiders had another runner 90 feet away, but the walks, errors and one ruinous swing had left them too much ground to cover.