IronPigs Rally to Sweep Chiefs in Doubleheader

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs (7-6) swept a doubleheader against the Syracuse Chiefs (6-7) on Wednesday evening at NBT Bank Stadium in Syracuse. The IronPigs captured game one by a score of 3-2 and game two by a 5-4 decision.

With the pair of wins, the Pigs sit at 7-6 on the season and are over .500 for the first time since June 20, 2014.

The series wraps up on Thursday at 1:05 p.m. as LHP Adam Morgan (0-1, 4.22) draws the start for the Pigs against Syracuse RHP A.J. Cole (1-0, 2.57).

Game One

A three-run fourth helped lift the Lehigh Valley IronPigs to a 3-2 win over the Syracuse Chiefs in game one of the doubleheader on Wednesday evening.

Trailing 2-0, a three-run fourth gave the Pigs a 3-2 lead. Brock Stassi's RBI double proved to be the big blow in the inning while Andrew Knapp came through with an RBI infield single and Cedric Hunter plated the go-ahead run via an RBI groundout.

All three runs were charged to Chiefs starter Paolo Espino (0-1) who was tagged with the loss after giving up three runs on four hits to go along with six strikeouts.

Syracuse jumped ahead 2-0 with a pair of runs in the third as Matt Skole's sac fly knocked home Trea Turner who led off the inning with a single and Brian Goodwin delivered with an RBI single in the frame.

Pigs starter Jake Thompson (1-2) allowed two runs on six hits while walking three and fanning a pair over six innings of work. The win is Thompson's first at the Triple-A level. RHP Edward Mujica (1.0 IP, K) retired the side in order in the seventh to notch his third save of the year.

Taylor Featherston extended his hitting streak to nine games with a single in the fourth.

Game Two

Trailing 4-1, a four-run seventh lifted the Lehigh Valley IronPigs to a 5-4 win and a doubleheader sweep of the Syracuse Chiefs on Wednesday.

Syracuse had runners at the corners with one out in the seventh, but RHP Luis Garcia (1.0 IP, H, BB, 2 K) was able to fan Matt Skole and get Brian Goodwin to ground out and end the threat. Garcia notches his first save of the year.

In the afore-mentioned four-run seventh, Darnell Sweeney tied it at four apiece with a three-run shot off of RHP Rafael Martin and Tommy Joseph came through with the go-ahead RBI double which gave the IronPigs a 5-4 lead.

Martin (0.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K) was dealt the loss for the Chiefs and drops to 0-1 on the year.

RHP Gregory Infante (2.0 IP, H, 2 K) tossed a pair of shutout innings to earn the win for the Pigs and is now 1-0 on the year.

Jhonatan Solano's two-run double gave the Chiefs an early 2-0 lead with a two-out, two-run double in the home half of the second inning.

In the bottom of the third, Trea Turner led off with a single, stole second and scored on Jason Martinson's RBI single to give Syracuse a 3-0 advantage.

Lehigh Valley starter Reinier Roibal (n/d) surrendered three runs on five hits while fanning a pair over his three innings of work.

Chiefs starter Aaron Laffey (n/d) gave up five hits while striking out a pair over three shutout innings.

Pinch-hitter Jose Lozada's RBI single in the bottom of the fourth gave the Chiefs a 4-0 lead.

The Pigs cut the lead to 4-1 with a run in the fifth as Cedric Hunter reached via a one-out single, advanced to second on a single and scored on Cam Perkins' RBI single.

Featherston (4-4, 2B) and Joseph (3-4, 2 2B, RBI) each had multi-hit games for manager Dave Brundage's squad.