Syracuse ends week in Norfolk with 8-6 Loss, still wins six-game series 

Norfolk, VA**–**The Syracuse Mets fell just short on Sunday afternoon, leaving the bases loaded in the ninth inning and falling, 8-6, to the Norfolk Tides. Despite the defeat, the Mets still won four of the six games in the series over the past week. Syracuse has also won five of its last seven games overall, scoring a combined 68 runs during that span.

Right from the beginning, this game was a back-and-forth, rollercoaster affair. Norfolk (32-34) rode the early wave, surging ahead with three runs in the bottom of the first. The inning started inauspiciously for the Mets, as Terrin Vavra reached on a throwing error by Travis Blankenhorn at second base. Jordan Westburg then singled and advanced to second on a throw to third base that was trying to nab Vavra. A walk to Gunnar Henderson loaded the bases, and after Kyle Stowers struck out, Jacob Nottingham cleared the bases with a three-run double to give the Tides a 3-0 lead.

From there, it was time for the Mets to punch back. Syracuse (25-40) scored the game’s next six runs to grab a 6-3 lead, highlighted by a pair of pivotal long balls. First, in the top of the second, Nick Meyer was standing on first base after being hit by a pitch with two outs. Johneshwy Fargas then brought him home, powering a drive over the right-centerfield fence to make it a 3-2 game in a flash. The home run also came on a 3-2 pitch to Fargas.

In the third inning, the Mets created two-out magic once again. Quinn Brodey tripled to lead off the inning, but he was still stuck at third base with two outs. Then, Mark Vientos hit a hard chopper up the middle that Vavra could not field cleanly on the run to his right, scoring Brodey and tying the game, 3-3. Syracuse, however, was far from done in the inning. A Daniel Palka single extended the inning, and Blankenhorn brought both Vientos and Palka home, launching a home run over the right-centerfield wall to make it 6-3 Mets. Once again, Blankenhorn’s homer came on a 3-2 pitch, as the Tides were one strike away from escaping damage for the second straight inning.

After that, Norfolk would have the game’s final big punch, scoring the final five runs in the contest to take an 8-6 lead for good. The Tides scoring came in slow drips: one run in the fourth, two runs in the sixth, and two game-deciding runs in the seventh. First, in the fourth, Rylan Bannon hit a solo home run to slim the deficit to 6-4. It was the eighth big fly of the season and the third home run this week for Bannon.

In the sixth, the Tides knotted the game up at six in rapid succession. After a flyout to begin the inning, Bannon doubled, and then DJ Stewart homered to tie the game up, 6-6. The double and the home run came on back-to-back pitches.

In the seventh, Norfolk took the lead for good with a pair of runs. Vavra walked to lead off the inning, followed by a double from Westburg that scored Vavra all the way from first to give the Tides a 7-6 edge. Westburg had an excellent week at the plate, getting a hit in each of the five games he appeared in and going a combined 7-for-20 (a .350 batting average) with six runs scored, and four runs driven in. Westburg came around to score later in the inning after swiping second base and scoring as part of a double-play groundout for the Tides, who took an 8-6 lead.

Entering the top of the ninth, it was still 8-6 Tides, and the Mets weren’t going down without a fight. Syracuse loaded the bases with nobody out in the inning, as Luke Ritter, Dominic Smith, and Vientos all walked to start the frame. Then, Rico Garcia got to work on the mound. The right-hander struck out Daniel Johnson and Blankenhorn in consecutive plate appearances, making it two outs and the bases still loaded. Meyer strode to the plate with the chance for a little late magic, but it wasn’t to be on this Father’s Day Sunday. Meyer popped out in foul territory down the third-base line, giving Norfolk the hard-fought, comeback victory. The Mets left nine runners on base in the loss.

Syracuse now heads to the Rochester Red Wings (Triple-A Washington Nationals) next week to continue its 12-game, two-week road trip. Game one of the series is set for Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. at Frontier Field.