Allentown, PA (July 3, 2018) - The Syracuse Chiefs fell in ten innings to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, 4-2, Tuesday night at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown. After the Chiefs scored a run in the top of the tenth inning, Collin Cowgill hit a walk-off three-run home run in the bottom
Allentown, PA (July 3, 2018) - The Syracuse Chiefs fell in ten innings to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, 4-2, Tuesday night at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown. After the Chiefs scored a run in the top of the tenth inning, Collin Cowgill hit a walk-off three-run home run in the bottom of the tenth inning to earn a split of the first portion of the home-and-home series for the IronPigs.
LISTEN: Audio Highlights - LHV 4, SYR 2
Syracuse (36-47) cracked the scoreboard first in the top of the fifth inning. Tom Eshelman walked Tommy Milone with one out. Milone moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Irving Falu's single to right-center for a 1-0 Chiefs lead.
Lehigh Valley (47-36) quickly answered in the bottom of the fifth. After Milone struck out the first two batters of the frame, Matt McBride posted the IronPigs first hit of the game on a double to left. Danny Ortiz followed with an RBI single to center field to tie the game at one.
Both teams had chances to break the tie late. The IronPigs put a runner on third and no-one out in the sixth inning, but Milone retired three batters in a row. In the eighth, Syracuse loaded the bases with no-one out, but Héctor Neris struck out three straight batters to end the threat. In the bottom of the eighth, Lehigh Valley had two runners on and one out, but Sammy Solís struck out Mitch Walding and Wander Suero came in to get Joey Meneses to pop out to end the frame.
The Chiefs finally broke the tie in the tenth. With Moisés Sierra on second base to start extra innings under the new rules, Andrew Stevenson placed a bunt down the third base line, and reached on a bunt single to put runners on first and third. Sierra then scored on a wild pitch by Pedro Beato to give the Chiefs a 2-1 lead.
In the bottom of the tenth, Adron Chambers tried to drop a sacrifice bunt to begin the inning, but Tuffy Gosewisch threw out Danny Ortiz at third for the first out. But Josh Edgin walked Dean Anna, and Cowgill crushed a 3-2 pitch over the left-field fence to win the game.
The Chiefs and IronPigs home-and-home series shifts to Syracuse Wednesday night on Independence Day. RHP Brady Dragmire is scheduled to start for Syracuse opposite RHP Jacob Waguespack for Lehigh Valley. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.
