Fitts Fans Five Over Five as WooSox Fall to Mets

SYRACUSE, NY — In a game that featured five lead changes and three ties, the Worcester Red Sox (4-7) fell to the Syracuse Mets (6-5) by a 5-4 final on Thursday night at NBT Bank Stadium.

Worcester started the scoring in the second inning when Eddy Alvarez blasted the first pitch he saw from Dom Hamel off the batter’s eye to give the WooSox a 1-0 advantage.

With two outs and a runner at first in the bottom of the third, Ben Gamel hit a two-run homer to put Syracuse in front 2-1.

After a lead-off double from Alvarez in the fifth, Tyler Heineman pulled a single through the right side that scored Alvarez and tied the game at two.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Mets regained the lead on a Luisangel Acuna single.

Syracuse took a 3-2 lead into the seventh inning. With one out in the inning, the WooSox loaded the bases. Then, Nick Sogard lifted a sacrifice fly to center that plated Heineman and tied the game at three.

In his second game since being optioned from the big leagues, Bobby Dalbec drilled an opposite-field home run in the eighth off Kolton Ingram to put the WooSox on top 4-3.

But in the bottom of the eighth, Rylan Bannon pulled a two-run over the left-field fence to put Syracuse ahead for good.

Right-hander Richard Fitts, the Red Sox no. 10 prospect according to MLB.com, made his second Triple-A start. Fitts tossed five innings, striking out five without walking a batter.

The WooSox and Mets continue their six-game series tomorrow night at 6:35 p.m. Right-hander Grant Gambrell is the scheduled starter for Worcester. Left-hander Joey Lucchesi is set to toe the rubber for Syracuse. Radio coverage begins at 6:15 p.m. on 98.9 Nash Icon and the rest of the WooSox Radio Network.