p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica}span.s1 {font-kerning: none}The Syracuse Chiefs fell to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, 7-6, on Thursday night at NBT Bank Stadium. Neftali Soto hammered two home runs in the loss. It was his first two-homer game since July 7th, 2016 with Harrisburg.
The Syracuse Chiefs fell to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, 7-6, on Thursday night at NBT Bank Stadium. Neftali Soto hammered two home runs in the loss. It was his first two-homer game since July 7th, 2016 with Harrisburg.
The RailRiders (49-30) scored in the top of the first thanks to the bat of Ji-Man Choi. With one out, Donovan Solano singled off Greg Ross on a grounder to right. Two batters later, Choi homered on a fly ball to right-center.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre added to its lead in the top of the fourth. Clint Frazier led off with a single up the middle. Choi then hit a grounder off the arm of Ross, which deflected to catcher Jhonatan Solano. Solano rocketed the ball to second but shortstop Adrían Sanchez failed to make the catch. Frazier advanced to third on Sanchez's error. Cito Culver knocked Frazier in on a single to center. Jake Cave grounded out, but Choi and Culver moved over a base on the play. Abiatal Avelino plated both runners on a single to center, putting the RailRiders up 5-0.
With one out in the top of the fifth, Choi picked up his second homer on a solo shot off Rafael Martín to center. Choi now has four homers against the Chiefs this season.
Behind six runs in the bottom of the sixth, Syracuse began to rally. Clint Robinson kicked the inning off with a single off Brady Lail to right. Soto, in his sixth game with the Chiefs, blasted a first pitch to left for his first Syracuse homer of the year. Alejandro De Aza continued the comeback with a double to left. Three batters later, Emmanuel Burriss brought in De Aza on a double to center.
Although the RailRiders picked up a run in the top off the seventh on a Culver RBI single, Soto and the Chiefs weren't finished. In the bottom of the seventh, Caleb Ramsey singled off Joe Mantiply to center. Ramsey then was caught stealing on his first attempt of the year. Nevertheless, Matt Skole walked afterwards and Robinson singled to right. With two runners on, Soto pummeled a shot to right-center for a three-run homer, putting the Chiefs within one.
However, the Chiefs picked up just one baserunner the rest of the way against Mantiply and Ben Heller.
The Chiefs return to action Friday night at 7:05 against the Buffalo Bisons. A.J. Cole is on the hill for Syracuse while T.J. House will pitch for the Bisons.
