Lehigh Valley wins Tuesday afternoon matinee over Syracuse, 13-6

*Allentown, PA – *The Syracuse Mets began their week on the road at the Lehigh Valley IronPigs with a thud, losing, 13-6, in the opener of a six-game series. The IronPigs have now won seven of the 13 games they have played against the Mets so far this season.

Early on, it looked like it may be Syracuse’s (45-55) day as the Mets got off to a good start in the first. Kramer Robertson walked to start the game, moved up to second on a groundout, sprinted to third on a wild pitch and scored on a passed ball with Daniel Palka at the plate. Syracuse restarted the rally from there. Palka singled, followed by a two-out single from Nick Plummer that put runners on first and second. Gosuke Katoh then sliced a single into left field, and the Mets got aggressive, sending Palka around third to try and score the frame’s second run. A great throw from Chris Sharpe in left field nabbed Palka at the plate and ended the inning right then and there.

After that, it was all Lehigh Valley (55-45). The IronPigs scored the game’s next 13 runs to win by a wide margin. In the bottom of the first, Lehigh Valley scored twice to take a lead that they would never relinquish. After Jean Segura grounded out to start the inning, Dalton Guthrie and Donny Sands both walked to put runners on first and second with one out. An RBI double from Johan Camargo plated Guthrie, followed by a passed ball later in the frame that allowed Sands to come home and give the IronPigs a 2-1 lead.

It remained a 2-1 game until the bottom of the fourth, when Lehigh Valley blew it wide open. The home team scored six runs on six hits in the fateful frame, sending ten batters to the plate as they all but clinched the victory. Segura, Gurthrie, Sands, Camargo, and Nick Maton all drove in runs in the inning as Lehigh Valley took a 7-1 advantage. Sands finished the game with two runs scored and three runs driven in.

Lehigh Valley tacked on another run in the ballgame game in the bottom of the fifth. Chris Sharpe started the inning with a single, advanced to second on a balk, and scored on a RBI single from Rafael Marchan. Marchan would finish the afternoon with a brilliant stat line, going 3-for-3 with three singles, a walk, a run driven in, and two runs scored.

The IronPigs finished their carousel of scoring with four more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on three more hits. Sands, Camargo, and Jorge Bonifacio provided the run-producing hits. Chris Sharpe also had a bases-loaded walk to bring home another run. Lehigh Valley drew eight walks by the end of the ballgame.

It was a truly balanced attack for the IronPigs on Tuesday afternoon. All nine of their starters reached base at least once, all but one starter reached base at least twice, all but one starter had at least one hit, and seven different players scored runs. Four different players also scored at least two runs in the game.

Syracuse, to their credit, would not go away. The Mets scored the game’s final five runs in the top of the ninth inning. With two outs and nobody on base, Tzu-Wei Lin walked, advanced to second on a Francisco Álvarez single, and scored on a soft single into shallow left field by Daniel Palka. Consecutive walks by Mark Vientos and Nick Plummer scored Álvarez, followed by a three-run double from Gosuke Katoh that cleared the bases and made it 13-6. Katoh finished the afternoon 3-for-5 at the plate. The flickering flame of an all-time comeback for the Mets was alive, but it was officially extinguished when Khalil Lee struck out and ended the game.

Syracuse continues its six-game series against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Wednesday evening. Right-hander Trevor Cahill is slated to start for the Mets, opposed by left-hander Michael Plassmeyer for the IronPigs. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m.