Syracuse can’t avoid sweep, losing 13-7 to Worcester in Sunday’s series finale

*Syracuse, NY *- Worcester blasted five home runs to help complete a six-game sweep of Syracuse as the Red Sox won, 13-7, at NBT Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Worcester (23-13) broke the game wide open early on. In the top of the first inning, Jarren Duran led off with a walk. The two-hole hitter, Jeter Downs, then hit a two-run homer off Mets starter Jesús Reyes to give Worcester a 2-0 advantage. After back-to-back singles from Franchy Cordero and Michael Chavis, Connor Wong stepped in and delivered with a two-run single to make it 4-0 with still no outs in the frame. With Wong on first, Johan Mieses struck out, but then Jonathan Araúz hit a triple over the head of Mets center fielder Albert Almora Jr. to score Wong and extend the Worcester lead to 5-0. The scoring in the first inning finally concluded when Duran stepped in for the second time in the frame and connected on an RBI single to score Araúz and push the Red Sox advantage to 6-0.

In the second, Chavis was on first base with one-out when Mieses blasted a home run into left field and extended the Worcester lead to 8-0.

The Woo Sox hit yet another two-run homer in the third. Michael Gettys led off the inning with a walk. Duran followed and clubbed a home run into the Woo Sox bullpen in right-center field to make it a 10-0 ballgame.

Syracuse (11-25) was able to get on the board in the bottom half of the third. Drew Ferguson led off the frame and reached on an error. Next, Orlando Calixte had a would-be home run robbed by Gettys in right field, and then Khalil Lee was hit by a pitch. Albert Almora Jr. followed and picked up a single to left field. With the bases loaded and one out, Patrick Mazeika delivered with his second base knock of the afternoon, driving in two runs with a single to right field to make it 10-2 with the Woo Sox still in front.

The Red Sox added another run in the fifth. Cordero ripped a two-out RBI ground rule double, and the lead increased to 11-2 for Worcester.

In the bottom half, Calixte would not be denied. After being robbed of a home run by Gettys earlier, he sent one over the head of the Woo Sox right fielder and onto the Salt City Deck in right field. Calixte’s solo home run brought Syracuse back within eight, 11-3. Later in the frame, Patrick Mazeika also found the Salt City Deck with a solo shot. His first home run as a Syracuse Met made it 11-4 Worcester.

That wasn’t the end of the solo home run barrage. In the eight, David Rodriguez joined the party with a solo home run to right-center field to bring Syracuse within six, 11-5.

The Woo Sox weren’t done either, though. In the top of the ninth, Gettys blasted a solo shot to left field to make it 12-5 Worcester. Later, Jeter Downs hit his second home run of the day, this time a solo homer that gave the Red Sox a 13-5 edge.

In the bottom of the ninth with one-out and runners on first and second, Mazeika grounded a ball to first base, and a potential double play ball went under the glove of the first baseman Chavis and into right field. That scored Lee and made it 13-6 Worcester. After Cheslor Cuthbert popped out, Sebastián Elizalde delivered with a two-out single that scored César Puello and brought Syracuse within six, 13-7. However, Red Sox reliever Kaleb Ort struck out the next batter, Drew Jackson, to end the game.

The Mets have Monday off before being back in action on Tuesday against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. The six-game series begins at 7:05 p.m. from Moosic, PA.