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Baby snow leopards stand out at local animal park.

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Astros’ Fiers throws no-hitter against Dodgers in 3-0 win

<p>MOOSIC &#8212; When Michael Pineda has been at his best this season for New York, he was throwing a lot of strikes and not walking many.</p><p>Despite not throwing as many pitches as he did during those outings, Pineda looked to be in top form on Friday night making a rehab start with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>Pineda proved he could be heading back to the Bronx soon as he allowed just three hits, and one run in front of a sellout crowd of 10,000 at PNC Field for the RailRiders&#8217; fourth sellout this season. Pineda&#8217;s solid start didn&#8217;t mean much in terms of the outcome of the game between the top two teams in the International League North Division as the division-leading RailRiders and Red Wings played extra innings with the RailRiders winning the game in 14 innings when Austin Romine laced a broken-bat single scoring Taylor Dugas in the 3-2 victory.</p><p>SWB extended its lead in the division to 5.5 games over the Red Wings and the team&#8217;s magic number dropped to 13.</p><p>A strike-thrower all season with the Yankees before getting injured with 117 strikeouts to just 15 walks, Pineda showed that same consistency on Friday night fanning three and not walking any.</p><p>&#8220;Today I felt more in the game,&#8221; said Pineda, who made his second rehab outing after pitching for Double-A Trenton on Aug. 16 recovering from a right forearm strain. &#8220;The adrenaline was going. I was ready to go. I&#8217;m more in my routine now and just more in the game.&#8221;</p><p>In his second rehab outing, Pineda only got in trouble in one inning, the top of the second when lefty-hitting Kennys Vargas led off with an opposite-field double. Vargas moved to third on a groundout and scored on a single by Danny Ortiz for the first run of the game giving Rochester a 1-0 lead.</p><p>&#8220;This guy, he made a good adjustment on a change-up and hit it,&#8221; Pineda said about the RBI hit. &#8220;So I&#8217;m just trying to stay in the game and think about my work. Do my job, throw my pitches and stay in the game.&#8221;</p><p>Besides that frame when Pineda had to throw 17 pitches, his most of any inning in the contest, he was very efficient striking out three and not walking any. Of the 62 pitches he threw, 45 of them were for strikes and he threw a first-pitch strike to 13 of the 18 batters he faced. After giving up the hit to Ortiz, Pineda didn&#8217;t allow another one until a single to Eric Fryer in the fifth as the last batter he faced. Afterwards, Pineda claimed himself as ready to be in New York but ultimately, that decision is not up to him.</p><p>&#8220;I feel ready to go right now. I&#8217;m feeling good,&#8221; he said. &#8220;My breaking ball was good. I threw a good change-up today so it was good. I&#8217;m ready to go.&#8221;</p><p>It took the RailRiders six innings to get a hit off Red Wings starter Jose Berrios last time they faced him, a week prior to Friday. This time, it took just two outs as Jose Pirela hit an infield single in the bottom of the first.</p><p>They tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly by Rob Refsnyder. But besides that, SWB didn&#8217;t have much success against the 21-year-old Berrios, who has pitched in a pair of MLB Futures Games already.</p><p>The right-hander struck out 10 RailRiders in seven innings and allowed just five hits with two of them coming by the team&#8217;s MVP candidate Ben Gamel.</p><p>After Rochester took a 2-1 lead in the top of the eighth, the RailRiders tied the game in the bottom half against Alex Meyer when Gary Sanchez singled to score the run.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders shortstop Gregorio Petit snags a groundball before throwing to first to get the out on Rochester&#8217;s Reynaldo Rodriguez in the fourth inning at PNC Field Friday night. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_rr_rrw3_faa.jpg</photo0><caption0>Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders shortstop Gregorio Petit snags a groundball before throwing to first to get the out on Rochester&#8217;s Reynaldo Rodriguez in the fourth inning at PNC Field Friday night. </caption0><photoCredit0>Fred Adams| For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_rr_rrw2_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">RailRiders centerfielder Ben Gamel dives back to first in the third inning of play against Rochester on Friday at PNC Field after hitting a single. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_rr_rrw2_faa.jpg</photo1><caption1>RailRiders centerfielder Ben Gamel dives back to first in the third inning of play against Rochester on Friday at PNC Field after hitting a single. </caption1><photoCredit1>Fred Adams| For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_rr_rrw1_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Yankees right-hander Michael Pineda made a rehab start for the RailRiders on Friday night lasting 4 2/3 innings allowing one run on three hits, striking out three and not walking any. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_rr_rrw1_faa.jpg</photo2><caption2>Yankees right-hander Michael Pineda made a rehab start for the RailRiders on Friday night lasting 4 2/3 innings allowing one run on three hits, striking out three and not walking any. </caption2><photoCredit2>Fred Adams| For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Dave Rosengrant</p><p>drosengrant@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>The T.L. Express</strong></p><p><strong>Game Highlights</strong>: Rehabbing right-hander Michael Pineda pitched the first 4 2/3 innings allowing just one run on three hits with three strikeouts and no walks. &#8230;SWB outfielder Slade Heathcott went 2 for 4 and was pulled from the game in the top of the tenth while playing left field; Taylor Dugas replaced him. &#8230;Jose Pirela and Ben Gamel each laced a pair of singles for the RailRiders, while Rob Refsnyder had a sacrifice fly. &#8230;Gary Sanchez singled in the tying run in the bottom of the eighth. &#8230;Austin Romine (2 for 3) won the game in the 14th inning with an RBI-single.</p><p><strong>Attendance</strong>: 10,000 (the fourth sellout of the season)</p><p><strong>Time of game</strong>: 4:10</p><p><strong>Race for the IL North:</strong> With Friday&#8217;s win against Rochester, the RailRiders&#8217; record this season is 71-55 and they have a 5.5 game lead in the division over the Red Wings (66-61) with 18 games remaining in the regular season. SWB&#8217;s magic number to clinch its first division title since 2012, and first since being renamed RailRiders is 13.</p><p><strong>Today&#8217;s Game: </strong>The RailRiders host Rochester tonight at 7 at PNC Field for Game 2 of the key three-game series in the International League North Division.</p><p><strong>Today at PNC Field: </strong>It&#8217;s breast cancer awareness night with the RailRiders donning special jerseys, which will be auctioned off, and the first 2,500 fans in attendance will receive a replica jersey of the ones the team will be wearing. Be sure to stay after the game for a special fireworks show.</p><p><strong>Today&#8217;s Probables:</strong> SWB RHP Kyle Davies (8-7, 3.41) vs. Rochester RHP Michael Bowden (9-3, 2.57)</p><p><strong>On Deck: </strong>The Rochester series wraps up on Sunday afternoon. After that, the RailRiders head on the road for three games in Pawtucket before coming back to PNC Field on Thursday, Aug. 27 to face Lehigh Valley in a doubleheader.</p><p><strong>On the Radio:</strong> All games can be heard on NEPA Sports Radio WYCK 1340-AM, 1400-AM, 1440-AM, 100.7-FM, 106.7-FM</p><p><strong>HOW THEY SCORED</strong></p><p><strong>ROCHESTER SECOND:</strong> Kennys Vargas doubled. Xavier Avery grounded out, Vargas to third. Danny Ortiz singled to score Vargas. Doug Bernier flied out. Oswaldo Arcia popped out. <strong>RED WINGS 1-0</strong></p><p><strong>RAILRIDERS THIRD</strong>: Gregorio Petit singled. Kyle Roller struck out. Ben Gamel singled, Petit to third. Rob Refsnyder hit a sac fly to score Petit. Jose Pirela fouled out. <strong>TIED 1-1</strong></p><p><strong>ROCHESTER EIGHTH</strong>: Eric Fryer walked. Danny Santana sacrificed Fryer to second. James Beresford doubled to score Fryer. Reynaldo Rodriguez walked. Vargas struck out. Avery flied out. <strong>RED WINGS 2-1</strong></p><p><strong>RAILRIDERS EIGHTH</strong>: Roller walked. Rico Noel pinch-ran for Roller. Gamel struck out. Refsnyder grounded into a fielder&#8217;s choice, Noel out at second. Pirela walked. Gary Sanchez singled to score Refsnyder. Aaron Judge grounded out.<strong> TIED 2-2</strong></p><p><strong>RAILRIDERS FOURTEENTH: </strong>Aaron Judge flied out. Taylor Dugas singled. Cole Figueroa singled, Dugas to third. Gregorio Petit grounded out. Austin Romine singled to score Dugas. <strong>RAILRIDERS 3-2</strong></p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Dave Rosengrant at 570-991-6398 or on Twitter @tldrosengrant</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Pineda sharp in rehab outing