Mets sweep doubleheader against Red Sox on Saturday,

Syracuse, NY (April 20, 2019) - The Syracuse Mets combined stellar pitching and timely hitting to sweep Saturday afternoon's doubleheader against the Pawtucket Red Sox. The Mets won game one, 5-2, and took game two, 3-2, in front of an energetic crowd of 4,347 at NBT Bank Stadium. Syracuse now holds a 7-2 record at home this season.

Syracuse (9-7) jumped out to a lead in the first inning in game one. Grégor Blanco led off with a single, moved to second on a groundout, and scored on Adeiny Hechavarría’s RBI single for a 1-0 lead. 

Pawtucket (7-8) took a 2-1 lead in the third, putting five straight runners on base. Mike Miller and Gorkys Hernandez singled, and Rusney Castillo walked to load the bases. Sam Travis then hit a two-run single to put the PawSox on top, 2-1.

PC - Ernest Dove

The Mets quickly answered in the bottom of the third inning. Blanco walked with one out, and Todd Frazier, in his first game on rehab with Syracuse, hit an RBI double to left field to tie the game, 2-2. Hechavarría then singled home Frazier for his second RBI of the game and a 3-2 Syracuse lead. 

In the fifth, the top of the order continued to produce. Blanco reached on an error on Jantzen Witte at third base. Blanco moved to third on a single by Frazier and scored on another Hechavarría RBI hit, this time a double to left. Two batters later, Danny Espinosa struck an RBI single up the middle to score Hechavarría for a 5-2 Mets lead.

PC - Ed Delany

In game two, the top of the Mets order again produced an early run. Carlos Gómez doubled to lead off the frame and moved to third on Espinosa’s sacrifice bunt. Hechavarría then hit a ground ball to left side of the infield, Pawtucket tried to throw out Gómez at home but was unsuccessful, and Syracuse took a 1-0 lead.

In the fifth, Travis Taijeron added to the lead with his team-leading fifth home run of the season for a 2-0 lead.

The PawSox got on the board in the sixth. Jake Romanski and Cole Sturgeon both singled, putting runners on first and third. Miller then grounded into a force at second, scoring Romanski to cut the lead to one, 3-2.

The Mets answered right back though. Espinosa hit his first home run with Syracuse with a line-drive bullet off the right-field foul pole to extend the Syracuse lead to 3-1.  

The PawSox got a run closer in the seventh. Castillo was hit by a pitch, took second on defensive indifference, and scored on Witte’s RBI single to left field, cutting the score to 3-2. Syracuse reliever Tyler Bashlor struck out Josh Tobias to clinch the doubleheader sweep. 

Syracuse’s pitching was stellar throughout the afternoon. Corey Oswalt started the first game for the Mets, pitching a complete game with six strikeouts. In game two, starter Zach Lee allowed only one run in five and a third innings pitched with no walks given up and four strikeouts before Bashlor came in for the final five outs.

The Mets and Red Sox conclude their three-game series on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. at NBT Bank Stadium.