Chiefs pound Yankees in series opener
Syracuse (32-34), the road team Thursday night at Alliance Bank Stadium, broke the ice in the top of the third inning. Seth Bynum and Jeff Howell laced back-to-back singles against Yankees starter Adam Warren, and Corey Brown walked on four pitches to load the bases with nobody out. Erik Komatsu drove Bynum home with a sacrifice fly on a slicing line drive to left field. Mark Teahen followed with a double of the wall in left-center field to score Howell, but Brown was gunned down at the plate. Still, the Chiefs led 2-0 after the third inning.
The Chiefs touched up an erratic Warren again in the fourth inning. Xavier Paul doubled to lead off the frame and advanced to third on a wild pitch. After a Carlos Rivero walk, Jarrett Hoffpauir doubled past third base to bring Paul home. One out later, Howell hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Rivero, and putting the Chiefs up 4-0.
Syracuse broke the game wide open in the top of the sixth inning. Rivero reached on a dropped third strike and Hoffpauir followed with an infield single to put two men on with no outs. Then, Seth Bynum came through with a two-run triple that rung off the manual scoreboard in right-center field. Komatsu continued the rally with a sharp single through the right side of the infield to bring in Bynum, and the Chiefs led 7-0. Teahen kept the Chiefs going with a two-out walk, and Brett Carroll laced a single to left field to load the bases again. Xavier Paul then put an exclamation point on the Chiefs five-run sixth with a two-run single that scored Teahen and Carroll.
Carroll added the Chiefs' tenth and final run of the night with his third homer of the season in the top of the ninth inning.
That run support was more than enough for Chiefs starter Zach Duke. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (37-30) could only produce six hits against the left-hander in five and two-thirds scoreless innings. Duke improved his record to 7-3 on the season.
Austin Bibens-Dirkx, Tanner Roark, Hassan Pena, and Pat Lehman combined to pitch three and one-third scoreless innings out of the bullpen to preserve the shutout.
Syracuse and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre meet for game two of a four-game series Friday night. Mitch Atkins is scheduled to start for the Chiefs. Dellin Betances is set to start for the Yankees.