Ali Sánchez's walk-off homer lifts RailRiders past Bulls 5-4

Ali Sánchez did more than finish a game at PNC Field. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, he sent a curveball to left for a moon-shot walk-off homer that lifted Scranton/Wilkes-Barre past Durham 5-4 and gave the RailRiders another early-season win that felt bigger than one night in Moosic.

The RailRiders opened fast, just as they have so often in this 8-3 start. Jasson Domínguez and Oswaldo Cabrera opened the first with back-to-back singles, and groundouts from Spencer Jones and Seth Brown finished a two-run inning before Durham had settled in. Brendan Beck made that early cushion hold, retiring the first 11 hitters he faced and striking out six while keeping the Bulls off the board. Beck, ranked as the Yankees’ No. 22 prospect, showed the kind of command that can force a front office to keep a close eye on the next turn through the rotation.

Durham finally cracked through in the fifth. A ground-rule double and a base hit put runners in scoring position, then Jacob Melton, Tampa Bay’s No. 3 prospect, stole home to put the Bulls on the board. Victor Mesa Jr. followed with a two-run double, flipping the game and sending Durham in front 3-2.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre answered in the sixth with the sort of inning that keeps a clubhouse believing. Paul DeJong doubled, Jonathan Ornelas singled, Domínguez drove in a run with another hit, and Max Schuemann added an RBI single to restore a 4-3 lead. Angel Chivilli then covered the middle innings with precision, retiring every batter he faced and giving the RailRiders a clean bridge to the finish.

Durham still had one last push. Yovanny Cruz walked Carson Williams to start the ninth, a pickoff error moved Williams to third, and a fielder’s choice brought him home to tie the game. Cruz was charged with both the win and a blown save, while Chris Clark took the loss after striking out the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth and then watching Sánchez end it.

For a Yankees system that always weighs injury insurance, short-term call-up value and clubhouse trust behind the plate, Sánchez’s blast was the kind of reminder that Triple-A veterans are not placeholders. They can decide games, steady a staff and alter how an organization views the next move.

The series moved on with a doubleheader set for April 10 at 4:35 p.m., with Elmer Rodríguez slated to start game one and Carlos Lagrange lined up for game two.