Cuse Game Notes - Syracuse falls to Lehigh Valley, 14-2, on Thursday Night

 

Daniel Palka hit his seventh home run of the season for Syracuse on Thursday night (Herm Card).

Syracuse, NY – The Syracuse Mets became the Congueros de Syracuse on Thursday night as part of Minor League Baseball’s Copa de la Diversión initiative, but Syracuse ran into a buzzsaw, falling to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, 14-2, on a sunny night at NBT Bank Stadium. The IronPigs racked up 17 hits on their way to victory.   

  

Lehigh Valley (15-12) got right to it in the top of the first when Donny Sands lined a two-run home run off the right-field foul pole for a 2-0 lead. Bryson Stott had walked to lead off the ballgame, beginning what would be a banner night for the top prospect in the Phillies minor league system.   

  

The IronPigs did their scoring in slow drips for much of the night, plating one run in the third and three runs in the fourth. Sands walked with one out in the third and later came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Nick Maton for a 3-0 Lehigh Valley edge. Stott, Sands and Darick Hall had RBI hits in the fourth that brought in Toffey, Andreoli, and Stott respectively. Lehigh Valley had four total hits in their three-run fourth inning.   

  

Stott plated two more runs in the sixth via a booming home run to right-center field that cleared the bullpen beyond the wall with ease. By the end of the game, Stott had certainly made his presence felt. The Las Vegas native finished the night 3-for-5 with three runs driven in and four runs scored.   

  

The IronPigs magnum opus on offense came in the eighth, when they plated five runs on five hits to make it a 13-2 game. Dustin Peterson hit a two-run homer, Nick Maton had an RBI double, and Yairo Munoz had an RBI single as part of the scoring barrage. Lehigh Valley sent ten men to the plate in the midst of the five-run frame.   

  

The IronPigs scored one more time in the ninth on another Munoz RBI single to complete their 14-run output. By the end of the night, every single Lehigh Valley starter had reached base at least once, five different players had at least two hits, and four players scored at least two runs.   

  

Syracuse (9-17) scored its runs in the third on an RBI groundout from Wyatt Young and in the sixth on a solo home run from Daniel Palka. The Mets had their chances at the plate early on in the ballgame. They had at least one hit in each of the first four innings but could only muster the one run until Palka’s homer in the sixth. By the end of the game, Syracuse had left eight runners on base and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. 

  

Syracuse continues the series against Lehigh Valley at NBT Bank Stadium on Friday night as right-hander Félix Peña is slated to start for the Mets. He will be opposed by left-hander Bailey Falter for the IronPigs. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m.