Syracuse slugs its way to fourth win in five games with 14-5 win at Norfolk

Norfolk, VA –The Syracuse Mets scored 14 runs on 13 hits en route to a 14-5 win against the Norfolk Tides on a warm, humid Friday night at Harbor Park. The Mets have now won three of the first four games in the six-game series and four of their last five games overall. In its last four wins, Syracuse has scored a combined 47 runs and 53 hits.

Syracuse (24-39) struck first loudly with the first batter of the game. Luke Ritter led off with a long ball that carried over the left-field wall and hit the scoreboard, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead.

However, the momentum wouldn’t last as Norfolk (31-33) grabbed a 3-1 lead after the first inning. In the bottom of the first inning, Jordan Westburg singled with one out, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a Gunnar Henderson double, tying the game up, 1-1. Two batters later, a walk put two runners on base with two outs, and DJ Stewart then capped off the inning’s scoring with a sharp, two-run double to left field, scoring Henderson and Stewart to give the Tides a 3-1 edge.

The Mets responded in the top of the third, scoring its pair of runs on a two-out, two-run double from Mark Vientos that briefly tied the game, 3-3. at three runs a side. Since returning from the Injured List on Sunday, Vientos is hitting .304 (7-for-23) with 11 RBIs during a five-game span.

The Tides struck right back in the bottom of the third. Westburg tripled to start the frame and scored with Henderson singling to make it 4-3. Henderson promptly swiped second and scored on a one-out Rylan Bannon double, giving Norfolk a 5-3 advantage.

From there, Syracuse made its charge. The Mets scored the game’s final 11 runs to officially put the game out of reach, all starting with a four-run barrage in the top of the fourth. With two outs and runners at first and second base in the fourth, Cody Bohanek hit a game-tying, two-run triple, knotting the game, 5-5. It was the first triple of the season for Bohanek. Then, after Ritter walked, Dominic Smith lined a two-run double into the gap in left-center field to give the Mets a 7-5 lead. Smith has five doubles in 13 Triple-A games with Syracuse. The 27-year-old now has nine RBIs during his stint with the Syracuse Mets.

The fun only continued for the Mets as the parade to home plate kept on coming. An opposite field, two-run blast from Daniel Palka in the seventh extended the Syracuse lead to four, 9-5. The former Chicago White Sox leads the Mets with 15 home runs and is in the midst of an 18-game on-base streak. During this stretch, the 30-year-old is hitting .375 (27-for-72) with 20 RBIs and five home runs.

In the eighth, Bohanek doubled home Nick Meyer, capping off a 3-for-3 night at the plate with four runs driven in and two runs scored. Bohanek was a home run shy of the cycle. The former UIC Flame has two separate three-hit games this season and six multi-hit games.

In the ninth, Syracuse took advantage of Norfolk mistakes. The Mets scored four times on just two hits, as two walks, a hit batter, a fielding error, and a wild pitch helped to plate the additional tallies for Syracuse. With a runner at first and two outs, Travis Blankenhorn grounded a ball to second base that was misplayed for an error that kept the inning going. Meyer followed with an RBI single to give the Mets an 11-5 lead. Johneshwy Fargas then reached on an infield single on a ball he hit to the first baseman but beat to the bag for his third hit of the game. Bohanek was then hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring home another run and make it 12-5. Ritter followed with a bases-loaded walk for a 13-5 lead. Then, Smith struck out swinging, but the third strike was a wild pitch that Smith reached first base on, and Fargas scored to give the Mets a 14-5 advantage.

While the Mets offense was doing all the scoring, the Syracuse bullpen was doing its part as well. After Connor Grey allowed six hits and five runs in a three-inning start, the bullpen was lights out. Eric Orze, Rob Zastryzny, Bryce Montes de Oca, and R.J. Alvarez combined to toss six scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and fanning 13 batters in the process. Orze was particularly excellent in a three-inning relief outing, tying a career high with six strikeouts while walking none and allowing just one hit. Orze picked up the win for his effort.

Syracuse plays game five of its six-game series at the Norfolk Tides on Saturday night with first pitch slated for 6:35 p.m. Right-hander Trevor Cahill is scheduled to start for the Mets, opposed by Right-hander Cody Sedlock for the Tides.