MEMPHIS (Interstat) — The Rochester Red Wings scored twice in the eighth inning and held off the Memphis Redbirds 3-2 on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, at AutoZone Park, clinching the International League (AAA) playoff series two games to one. Rochester, the visiting team, won Game 3 and took the best-of-three series after splitting the first two games. The Red Wings improved to 91-58, while the Redbirds fell to 80-69. Rochester finished with 12 hits, while Memphis managed three. The game lasted 2 hours, 50 minutes.

Rochester opened the scoring in the top of the first. Seaver King walked, Trey Lipscomb singled and Cayden Wallace grounded into a double play that moved King to third. Riley Adams followed with a line-drive single to left that scored King. Leandro Pineda then singled, but Andrew Pinckney struck out swinging to end the inning. Rochester threatened again in the third when King singled and Lipscomb doubled, but Wallace and Adams struck out and Pineda grounded out. The Red Wings also grounded into a double play in the fifth after Liover Peguero singled, and Trey Lipscomb was caught stealing home later in that inning.

Memphis was held without a hit until Zach Levenson homered to left-center field in the fifth inning, tying the game. The Redbirds took the lead in the seventh when Ramon Mendoza doubled and Bligh Madris doubled him home. Memphis finished with three hits, all for extra bases. Rochester’s pitchers limited the damage, stranding Memphis without another run after Madris’s double. Noah Mendlinger walked in the fifth but was caught stealing, and Trey Paige struck out swinging on the play. In the seventh, Chase Davis grounded out to move Madris to third, but Zach Levenson struck out and Noah Mendlinger grounded out.

Rochester answered in the top of the eighth. Leandro Pineda doubled to left, and Andrew Pinckney doubled sharply to right to score Pineda, tying the game. Cortland Lawson then singled to center, scoring Pinckney with the decisive run. Maxwell Romero Jr. struck out swinging to end the inning, but the Red Wings had the lead. In the bottom of the eighth, Trey Paige struck out, Brody Moore walked, Colton Ledbetter struck out, Jimmy Crooks walked and Ramon Mendoza flew out to right fielder Leandro Pineda, ending the threat.

Zak Kent was Rochester’s top star, working three scoreless innings of relief with no hits, one walk and three strikeouts. Eddy Yean followed with a scoreless ninth for his 10th save, retiring Bligh Madris, Chase Davis and Zach Levenson in order. Erick Mejia struck out three in a scoreless inning, Max Kranick struck out one in a scoreless inning, Joe Glassey worked two-thirds of an inning without allowing a hit and Kyle Nicolas added a scoreless inning with two walks and two strikeouts. Clayton Beeter earned the win, improving to 1-0. Matt Svanson took the loss for Memphis, falling to 2-2 after allowing two earned runs in 2.1 innings with four strikeouts.

Sandro Santana pitched two scoreless innings for Memphis, allowing two hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Ryan Fernandez added a scoreless inning with two strikeouts, and Jared Shuster worked two-thirds of an inning without allowing an earned run. Rochester pitchers combined for 23 strikes, 47 balls and 23 balls in play. Memphis pitchers combined for 19 strikes, 53 balls and 19 balls in play. Rochester grounded into two double plays, while Memphis did not ground into any. The Red Wings’ 12 hits included doubles by Lipscomb, Pineda and Pinckney, while Lawson and Adams delivered key run-scoring singles.

The game was a playoff matchup organized by the International League (AAA). Rochester’s victory gave it the series two games to one. The Red Wings had won the series opener 4-3 on Tuesday before Memphis responded with a 15-4 rout Wednesday. Rochester’s next scheduled game is against the Oklahoma City Comets on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. Memphis’s season record moved to 80-69, while Rochester improved to 91-58.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Rochester Red Wings 10, Memphis Redbirds 7. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Rochester with a 50.1 percent probability to win.