Mark Vientos hit a double for Syracuse on Tuesday night in a loss to Columbus (Rick Nelson).
COLUMBUS, OH – The Columbus Clippers were rude hosts in the first road game of the season for the Syracuse Mets, riding excellent pitching and timely hitting on their way to a 5-0 win on a sunny Tuesday night at Huntington Park.
Columbus (4-3) jumped out ahead early, plating single runs in the first and second innings. The Clippers struck first when Richie Palacios tripled to lead off the bottom of the first inning, eventually scoring later in the frame via an RBI groundout by Josh Naylor for a 1-0 lead.
The Clippers scored again in the second by way of the long ball. With nobody on base and one out, Alex Call lined a no-doubt home run over the left-field fence to make it a 2-0 game. It was Call’s first hit of the young season.
From there, the Clippers’ pitching staff took over. Peyton Battenfield was stellar in his starting role, allowing just two hits in six scoreless innings with five strikeouts. The right-hander allowed exactly two baserunners, as he didn’t walk anybody in his outing. Battenfield was also incredibly efficient, tossing just 58 pitches, including 39 for strikes.
The Clippers added insurance in the later innings, tacking on another run in the fifth and two runs in the seventh. A throwing error by the Mets allowed Palacios to score in the fifth after he had walked to reach base earlier in the inning as Columbus took a 3-0 advantage.
The two final tallies of the night came in the seventh. Back-to-back doubles with one out by Gabriel Arias and Naylor brought the first run home, followed by a two-out single later in the inning by Daniel Johnson to drive in Naylor for a 5-0 Clippers edge.
A balanced offensive attack highlighted the night for Columbus. Six of the Clippers’ nine starters had at least a hit, four different players scored a run, and three players drove in at least one run. Syracuse’s poor defense also helped the Clippers’ cause as the Mets committed a season-high four errors in the game.
The bullpen for the home team was rock solid as Ian Gibaut, Alex Young, and Enyel De Los Santos all threw scoreless innings of relief. The trio only allowed a combined two hits in their three innings of relief. De Los Santos was particularly impressive, striking out the side in a 1-2-3 top of the ninth to secure the victory.
Syracuse and Columbus continue their six-game series on Wednesday evening. Right-hander Adonis Media is slated to make his first start of the season for the Mets opposite Clippers left-hander Adam Scott. First pitch is set for 6:15 p.m.
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