Francisco Alvarez homers twice but Mets fall to IronPigs, 11-9, on Saturday night
Syracuse, NY – After last night’s extra-inning heroics, the Syracuse Mets nearly completed another remarkable comeback on Saturday night but ran out of steam in an 11-9 loss to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at NBT Bank Stadium. Francisco Alvarez homered twice in the game, helping Syracuse nearly complete the comeback.
Syracuse, NY – After last night’s extra-inning heroics, the Syracuse Mets nearly completed another remarkable comeback on Saturday night but ran out of steam in an 11-9 loss to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at NBT Bank Stadium. Francisco Alvarez homered twice in the game, helping Syracuse nearly complete the comeback.
Lehigh Valley (54-36, 8-8) jumped out to an early lead, scoring six runs in the top of the first inning.
Syracuse (43-49, 12-5) also scored in the first inning when Jose Azocar led off with a double and Pablo Reyes ripped an RBI single to make it a 6-1 game.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Mets pulled within three. Reyes singled and Drew Gilbert blasted a two-run homer that cut the deficit, 6-3.
The score held until the top of the seventh inning when the IronPigs blew the game wide open with a five-run frame to take an 11-3 lead.
Syracuse did its best to mount a comeback in the bottom of the eighth when Luis De Los Santos singled and Francisco Alvarez crushed a two-run home run, bringing the score to 11-5.
The Mets didn’t go down easy, putting the pressure on the IronPigs in the bottom of the ninth inning. After Azocar doubled, Gilberto Celestino walked, and Francisco Alvarez smacked a three-run homer, cutting the Lehigh Valley lead down to three, 11-8. Alvarez now has seven homers in 16 Triple-A games. Right after the homer, Reyes doubled, and Gilbert doubled to score him and make it an 11-9 ballgame, the closest Syracuse would get.
On the mound, the Mets used seven bullpen arms, four of which didn't allow a run. Joshua Cornielly made his Triple-A debut, pitched two innings, and didn’t give up an earned run. Jose Castillo faced four batters and struck three out, Brooks Raley tossed a scoreless fifth, and Daniel Juarez pitched two innings without allowing a run in his first career Triple-A game.
Syracuse ends its six-game series with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Sunday afternoon. Right-hander Blade Tidwell is scheduled to pitch for the Mets against righty Andrew Painter for the IronPigs. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.