RailRiders get payback in 12-3 victory over Chiefs

After the Syracuse Chiefs scored 21 runs in the previous two games, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders got some revenge with a 12-3 victory on Saturday afternoon at NBT Bank Stadium. Irving Falu drove in two runs on the day for the Chiefs. 

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (17-16) started the scoring with a bang in the top of the first inning. After a Tyler Wade strikeout to lead off the inning, right fielder Dustin Fowler smacked a home run over the right-field fence off Syracuse starter Greg Ross. Two batters later, first baseman Ji-Man Choi hit a long ball of his own to center field, putting the RailRiders up 2-0.
The RailRiders added to their lead in the second inning. Following a Cito Culver strikeout to begin the inning, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre strung together three straight base hits. First, Eddy Rodriguez and Abiatal Avelino hit back-to-back singles. Wade then doubled to left field, plating both Rodriguez and Avelino. A Fowler strikeout broke up the stretch, but a new streak started with a Clint Frazier walk. With runners on first and second, Choi delivered a double to right field scoring Wade and advancing Frazier to third. Choi and Frazier scored in the next at-bat on a Rob Refsnyder double to right field putting the RailRiders in front 7-0.
More of the same came from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the fourth off Chiefs reliever Cody Satterwhite. With one out, Fowler hit a ground ball up the middle for a single. Frazier followed up the hit with a ground-rule double down the right-field line, advancing Fowler to third in the process. Two batters later, a Refsnyder walk loaded the bases for Mason Williams. The RailRiders' center fielder slapped a line drive into center field, scoring Fowler and Frazier. In the next at-bat Culver singled into left field bringing in Refsnyder and extending the lead to 10-0.
Syracuse (12-19) finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth inning. Grant Green walked with one out and Jhonatan Solano broke up the no-hit bid of RailRiders' starter Daniel Camarena with a single to left field. After an Adrían Sanchez strikeout, Caleb Ramsey singled off the glove of Wade, moving Green to third and Solano to second. The next batter, Falu, singled to center field and brought in both Green and Solano to score, cutting the RailRiders' lead to 11-2.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre tacked on another run in the sixth versus Syracuse reliever Mike Broadway. Choi led off the inning with a line-drive single into right field and was then replaced by pinch-runner Ruben Tejada. Refsnyder followed that up with an infield single. After a Williams walk loaded the bases, Culver grounded into a double play, but Tejada scored from third to increase the RailRiders' lead to 12-2.
In the top of the ninth inning, Brandon Snyder moved from third base to the pitcher's mound, allowing just one hit and recording a strikeout in a scoreless inning of relief. 
In the bottom half, Snyder got things done at the plate as well. The Chiefs' home-run leader hit a high fly ball just over the left-center-field fence to cut the lead to 12-3. 
The Chiefs and RailRiders finish up their four-game series Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. at NBT Bank Stadium. The Mother's Day matinee sees Austin Voth take the mound for Syracuse opposite right-hander Chad Green for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.