Cuse Game Recap - Syracuse drops series finale at Rochester, 8-3, on Sunday afternoon

Rochester, NY – The Syracuse Mets lost the final game of a six-game series against the Rochester Red Wings (Triple-A Washington Nationals) on Sunday afternoon, 8-3. The Red Wings clinched a series victory with the win, taking four of the six games in the week-long series.  

  

Syracuse (8-15) got right to work at the plate on Sunday afternoon, plating two runs in the top of the first. Wyatt Young and Nick Plummer both singled to start the inning, moving to third base and second base respectively on a groundout by Daniel Palka. Patrick Mazeika then brought home Young on an RBI groundout to give the Mets a 1-0 lead, followed by Plummer scoring when Carlos Cortes smacked a single into center field as Syracuse took a 2-0 advantage. The Mets scored first in five of the six games this past week in Rochester.  

  

After that, Rochester (13-11) began to run away with the game. The Red Wings plated five runs on five hits in the bottom of the second inning to claim a 5-2 edge. The frame was highlighted by a two-run triple from Tres Barrera. Rochester’s catcher had a very productive week at the plate. Barrera finished the series 5-for-9 with a double, a triple, a home run, four walks, and five runs driven in. 

  

Rochester scored two more times in the fourth. First, Nick Banks hit a solo home run with one out to extend their lead to four, 6-2. Then Dee Strange-Gordon followed win an RBI double later in the inning that plated Andrew Stevenson, who had singled earlier in the frame to make it a 7-2 game. The homer from Banks just continued a week of power at the plate for the Red Wings. They racked up 19 extra-base hits in the six games, including nine home runs.  

  

Syracuse got a run back in the top of the sixth via some aggressive baserunning. Plummer doubled to lead off the inning and was standing at second base with one out when a pitch bounced in the dirt. As the ball skittered away from the catcher, Plummer took off for third, which forced a bad throw down the left-field line and allowed Plummer to race home to pull the Mets within four, 7-3. The former first-round pick had an excellent day at the plate, finishing the afternoon 3-for-4 with two runs scored.  

  

The Mets now trailed 7-3 and had their chances late in the ballgame to get even closer. Syracuse put two runners on base in the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, yet left them all on base in each inning. The seventh was particularly frustrating. Consecutive two-out singles from Plummer and Young fostered dreams of a two-out rally, but Palka then struck out and ended the threat. Syracuse finished the day 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left ten runners on base. 

  

Rochester manufactured its final run of the game in the eighth. Andrew Stevenson walked leading off the inning, swiping second and third base to move 90 feet away from scoring. He would do just that when Barerra lined a drive deep enough into right field to score Stevenson via a sacrifice fly. Stevenson finished the game 1-for-3 at the plate with a walk, an RBI, two stolen bases, and two runs scored.   

  

Despite the loss, Wyatt Young provided a bright spot at the plate, rapping out four hits in five at-bats. The Hawaii native finished the series 9-for-24 and is batting .375 (18-for-48) since joining Syracuse on April 16th. The four hits today are a career high for Young who also had a three-hit game on Friday night in Rochester.  

  

Syracuse returns home to NBT Bank Stadium, beginning a series with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Triple-A Philadelphia Phillies) on Tuesday night. First pitch of the series opener is set for 6:35 p.m.