Williams’ go-ahead single in tenth leads Syracuse to 9-8 extra-inning win, series victory over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre

PC - Ed Delany

Moosic, PA - Behind Patrick Mazeika’s two-run homer in the top of the eighth inning and Mason Williams’s go-ahead RBI single in the tenth, the Syracuse Mets took the series finale against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, 9-8, in ten innings while also winning the seven-game series, 4-3. It was the third extra-inning game of the series, with the Mets winning all three.

Syracuse (19-40) scored the game’s decisive run in the top of the tenth inning. After an adventurous nine innings, the score was tied, 8-8, heading to the tenth. César Puello started the inning at second base as Syracuse’s free runner teams get in extras. Puello moved to third base on an Orlando Calixte groundout to second. Mason Williams followed with a single that scored Puello to give the Mets a 9-8 lead.

After recording the last out in the bottom of the ninth, reliever Tom Windle returned to the mound for Syracuse in the tenth and put together a perfect inning to earn the save as the Mets came out on top, 9-8.

Syracuse scored the game’s first run in the first inning. Albert Almora Jr. drew a one-out walk, and Mazeika and J.D. Davis followed with back-to-back singles to load the bases. Brandon Drury then hit a sacrifice fly to score Almora Jr. and give the Mets a 1-0 lead. 

In the top of the second, Drew Jackson led off with his fifth home run of the season, a solo shot to put the Mets up 2-0. After his 2-for-4 performance on Sunday, Jackson is now hitting .461 (12-for-26) in July. 

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (37-20) responded with two runs in the bottom of the second. Socrates Brito hit a leadoff single followed by a Greg Allen double that advanced Brito to third base. Armando Alvarez then drew a walk to load the bases. Kyle Holder followed with a run-producing single to score Brito and cut the deficit to one, 2-1. After Max McDowell struck out for the first out, Brandon Wagner grounded into a fielder’s choice where Holder was out at first, but Allen scored to tie the game, 2-2.

In the top of the third, there were two outs and no one on base when Davis drew a walk. Then, Drury hit an RBI double off the right-field wall to give the Mets the lead right back, 3-2. Wilfredo Tovar then stepped in and singled to score Drury to make it 4-2 Syracuse. 

The Mets added yet another two runs in the top of the fourth. Orlando Calixte drew a leadoff walk, and with Williams at the plate, advanced to second on a balk by Scranton/Wilkes-Barre pitcher Brian Killer. Williams then proceeded to hit an RBI single to give Syracuse a 5-2 lead. Almora Jr. followed with a single of his own. After Mazeika struck out, Davis was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Two batters later, with two outs, Tovar drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home Almora Jr. and increase the Mets lead to four, 6-2.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre followed with two runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth. Allen hit a leadoff single, and Alvarez followed with a walk. After Holder and McDowell struck out, Wagner connected on a two-run double that hit off of the first base bag and rolled into right field to make it 6-4 with the Mets still in front. 

In the seventh, the RailRiders tied it up. McDowell hit a leadoff single, and Wagner followed with a game-tying two-run home run to make it 6-6.

In the top of the eighth, the Mets answered. After Almora drew a one-out walk, Mazeika blasted a two-run go-ahead home run over the right-field wall to give Syracuse an 8-6 lead.

Bradley Roney came out to pitch the bottom of the ninth with the Mets still leading 8-6 and allowed a leadoff single to Velazquez. Ryan LaMarre followed and hit a double, but Velazquez was thrown out at home for the first out of the frame. Brito then hit a single as LaMarre advanced to third. Allen hit a ball to first base that Drury fielded and touched first with for the second out, but Brito moved to second base on the play. Alvarez then delivered with a game-tying two-run single to center field to make it 8-8 and send the game to extras where the Mets came out victorious.

Syracuse will enjoy the league-wide day off on Monday before returning home to NBT Bank Stadium on Tuesday to face the Rochester Red Wings. The seven-game series begins at 6:35 p.m. on Tuesday night.