The Rochester Red Wings beat the Memphis Redbirds 3-2 on Sept. 24 to win the best-of-three International League Championship Series. Memphis led 2-1 entering the eighth, but Cortland Lawson’s RBI single put Rochester ahead after back-to-back doubles.
Memphis took its seventh-inning lead on Bligh Madris’ two-out double. With two outs and the bases empty in the eighth, reliever Matt Svanson gave up consecutive doubles to Leandro Pineda and Andrew Pinckney, then Lawson’s go-ahead single. The Redbirds had late scoring chances but could not convert.
Rochester advances to the AAA national championship game in Las Vegas on Sept. 26, where it will face either the Las Vegas Aviators or the Oklahoma City Comets. Memphis reached the series by winning the International League’s first-half title in June. After losing Game 1, 4-3, the Redbirds forced a third game with a 15-4 win on Sept. 23. The championship game is scheduled for 9:05 p.m. CST.
