COLUMBUS, OH – The Columbus Clippers completed a six-game sweep of the Syracuse Mets on Sunday afternoon, rallying from an early deficit to take the series final, 4-3, at Huntington Park. The Clippers scored a combined 50 runs in the week-long series.
Syracuse (1-10) roared out to a 1-0 lead on a sun-soaked Sunday, as Travis Blankenhorn pounded a solo home run with one out in the top of the first. The left-handed hitter had an excellent weekend at the plate. Blankenhorn smacked home runs in both Friday and Sunday’s games.
Columbus (9-3) answered right back in the bottom of the first. The Clippers eliminated the early deficit, scoring twice in the frame to take a 2-1 lead. After Richie Palacios and Luke Maile singled early in the inning to put runners on first and third with one out, a pair of two-out singles later in the frame gave the home team the lead. First, Daniel Johnson grounded a single into right field to score Palacios and move Maile to second. Then the next batter, Will Benson, singled into center field. That drove in Maile and put Columbus right back in front, 2-1.
The Mets responded with a lone run in the fourth to knot the game back up at two. After a Daniel Palka single started the inning and a one-out walk by Khalil Lee moved Palka up to second base, the frame looked in jeopardy when Carlos Cortes popped out. However, Patrick Mazeika had other ideas, singling home Palka to tie the game, 2-2.
From there, Columbus got enough insurance to secure victory via lone runs in the fifth and sixth innings. The Clippers plated their run in the fifth unconventionally. Jose Fermin singled to start the inning, promptly swiping second base with nobody out. After an Ike Freeman strikeout, a throwing error by Syracuse pitcher Mike Montgomery on a pickoff attempt moved Fermin up to third base. That meant when the next batter ,Palacios, grounded out to second base, Fermin came home to score and give the Clippers the lead back, 3-2.
In the sixth, Columbus scored a bit more conventionally, as Maile lifted a solo home run over the right-field wall to give the Clippers a 4-2 lead that would hold up in the end. Maile’s homer was the only extra-base hit that Columbus would have all day.
The game remained 4-2 into the top of the ninth inning when Syracuse mounted a late push. Mazeika singled to start the inning and moved to second when Nick Meyer walked. A Wyatt Young fielder’s choice groundout then put Mazeika at third and Young at first with one out, followed by a Blankenhorn groundout to second base that scored Mazeika and advanced Young to second as the Mets cut the deficit to one, 4-3. The intrigue continued when Columbus relief pitcher Enyel De Los Santos balked, allowing Young to move to third base and ninety feet away from tying the game. However, De Los Santos bore down when it mattered most, striking out Mark Vientos swinging and ensuring a six-game series sweep for the Clippers.
Syracuse returns home on Tuesday night to begin a six-game series against the Worcester Red Sox (Triple-A Boston Red Sox) at NBT Bank Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m.
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