Syracuse wins series finale in style with 18-2 victory over Lehigh Valley on Sunday night

Allentown, PA – The Syracuse Mets exorcized some demons on Sunday night, scoring 18 runs on 18 hits en route to an 18-2 demolition of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on a humid summer night at Coca-Cola Park. The Mets had lost four out of the first five games in the series, which marks the Mets’ first series loss since early June.

Syracuse (47-58) began its offensive assault in the bottom of the second inning, scoring four times on five hits. The Mets sent nine men to the plate in the frame, with the biggest blow of the inning being Deven Marrero’s bases-clearing triple that scored the first three runs of the game for a 3-0 Syracuse lead. It was the second different triple of the week for Marrero. Nick Plummer also knocked in a run via an RBI double in the frame, giving Syracuse a 4-0 edge. Plummer had at least one hit in each of the six games in this week’s series.

Lehigh Valley (58-47) briefly crept closer in the bottom of the second when Chris Sharpe lined a two-out, two-run home run over the left-field fence to cut the Syracuse lead to two, 4-2. It was the first Triple-A home run of the year for Sharpe and just the second home run of the week for the IronPigs.

From there, Syracuse put on an offensive display for the ages, scoring the game’s final 14 runs to clinch their most convincing win of the season. The fourth inning was the magnum opus for the Mets. Syracuse sent 12 batters to the plate in the frame, scoring eight runs on five hits plus two hit batters and two walks. Highlights from the fourth inning included an RBI double from Gosuke Katoh and RBI singles from Travis Blankenhorn and Dominic Smith. The eight-run frame gave Syracuse a 12-2 advantage.

The fun wouldn’t stop there as the Mets just kept right on scoring the rest of the night. Three more runs came in the sixth, powered by a two-run double from Khalil Lee and another RBI two-bagger from JT Riddle for a 15-2 lead. Another run was to come in the seventh, as Blankenhorn brought home the run via an RBI groundout to give the Mets a 14-run lead, 16-2.

Finally, the last two tallies came in the top of the ninth on two more hits plus an error. Blankenhorn had yet another RBI hit in the ninth to cap off the game’s scoring and give Syracuse an 18-2 advantage. The Pennsylvania native finished the game 3-for-6 with three runs driven in and two runs scored.

More notables from one the best offensive nights in franchise history: Each member of the starting lineup scored at least one run and had at least one hit. All ten Syracuse Mets who batted in the game had a hit and scored a run. Six different players scored multiple runs and four different players had multiple hits. The Mets, remarkably, had two different innings in which they had five hits. Finally, Syracuse tied its season-high with 18 total runs and 18 total hits in the game.

While the offense inevitably took the lion’s share of the headlines on this night, the pitching staff must also be commended for its consistent and steady work. Mike Montgomery, Trey Cobb, Sam Clay, Bryce Montes de Oca, and R.J. Alvarez combined to allowed just five hits and two runs in the dominating victory. After Montgomery’s three-inning start, Cobb turned in quite the relief outing. The Oklahoma State alum tossed three scoreless frames on just one hit, ensuring there would be no dramatic comeback for the IronPigs on this night. Cobb collected the win and has a 6-1 record this season.

Syracuse now returns home next week for a six-game series against the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, the Buffalo Bisons, beginning on Tuesday. First pitch of the series opener is slated to start at 6:35 p.m.