Mets fall to IronPigs, 9-6, in series finale on Sunday night

*Allentown, PA - *The Syracuse Mets outhit the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Sunday night, but Syracuse went 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position as the Mets lost to the IronPigs, 9-6, at Coca-Cola Park. Despite the loss, Syracuse still split the six-game series with Lehigh Valley with both teams winning three games.

Lehigh Valley (48-58) struck first in the bottom of the second inning. With one out, C.J. Chatham singled, and Darick Hall walked to put runners at first and second base. T.J. Rivera followed with a double that scored Chatham for a 1-0 IronPigs lead. Logan Moore then singled, bringing home both Hall and Rivera to give Lehigh Valley a 3-0 edge.

Syracuse (42-63-1) got its first run in the top of the third. Jerad Eickhoff led off with a double, moved to third base on a Mark Payton groundout, and Eickhoff scored on a José Peraza single, trimming the deficit to two, 3-1.

The IronPigs answered in the bottom of the third. Nick Maton walked, stole second, and advanced to third on a Mickey Moniak fly out. Then, Chatham hit a two-out single, scoring Maton to make it a 4-1 game.

The Mets pulled back within two in the top of the fourth with a two-out solo home run from Khalil Lee to move the score to 4-2 with the IronPigs in front.

Lehigh Valley took its largest lead in the bottom of the fourth. Rivera doubled to begin the frame. Two batters later, Adonis Medina picked up an RBI double for a 5-2 Lehigh Valley advantage. Two batters after that, Maton hit a two-run homer, extending the IronPigs lead to five, 7-2.

Syracuse had a three-run inning of its own in the sixth. Peraza singled and scored on a José Martinez double to make it 7-3. Later in the inning, with runners on the corners and two outs, Wilfredo Tovar hit a two-run double, pulling the Mets back within three, 7-4.

The IronPigs added two insurance runs in the eighth without a hit. Four walks and two wild pitches allowed two runs to score, giving Lehigh Valley a 9-5 lead.

The Mets got a run in the ninth when Jose Colina hit his first career Triple-A home run, which was also his first career Triple-A hit, giving the game its final score, 9-6.

Syracuse has an off day on Monday before traveling to Buffalo to begin a six-game series against the Bisons on Tuesday night at Sahlen Field. First pitch on Tuesday is at 6:05 p.m.