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Game Recap and Highlights: Blankenhorn shines again as Syracuse wins 5-4

 

Travis Blankenhorn reached base four times, including with a two-run home run and a two-run double on Saturday night (Rick Nelson).

Rochester, NY – Travis Blankenhorn once again came up clutch for the Syracuse Mets, hitting a go-ahead two-run double in the eight as Syracuse beat the Rochester Red Wings, 5-4, on Saturday night at Frontier Field (Box Score). The Mets have now guaranteed themselves at least a split of the six-game series in Rochester, taking three out of the first five games this week. Syracuse has also ensured a winning road trip, having taken four out of the six games at the Norfolk Tides last week. 

Syracuse (28-42) got off to a roaring start, sprinting out to a 3-0 lead with a run in the second and two more runs in the third. Travis Blankenhorn played a pivotal role in all of the runs that crossed home plate. In the top of the second inning, Blankenhorn led off with a walk, moved up to second on a wild pitch, beat a throw to third base on a groundball to shortstop, and then scored on a line-drive single to right field by Luke Ritter, giving Syracuse a 1-0 lead.  

In the top of the third, Blankenhorn was at it again. After a two-out walk by Mark Vientos, Blankenhorn launched a two-run home run over the right-field wall, extending the Syracuse advantage to 3-0.  

Rochester (39-32) roared back with three runs of its own to tie up the game, beginning in the bottom of the third. After consecutive outs to start the inning, Matt Lipka walked and promptly raced home on an RBI triple from Andrew Stevenson to make it a 3-1 ballgame. Ildemaro Vargas followed with a single that scored Stevenson to slash the Syracuse lead to one, 3-2.  

The Red Wings knotted up the contest with a lone run in the fifth that came in the blink of an eye. Lipka led off with a single, moved up to second on a wild pitch, and scored on another run-producing hit from Stevenson, a single that knotted the game up, 3-3. Lipka has gone a combined 6-for-13 at the plate so far this week with six runs scored. Stevenson has also gotten the job done, posting a combined 10-for-23 mark at the dish with six RBIs.  

The game remained tied into the bottom of the seventh when the Red Wings scored their fourth unanswered run to take their first lead of the game at 4-3. The rally came with two outs. Vargas doubled, Joey Meneses walked, and Josh Palacios reached on catcher's interreference to load up the bases. Then, Jake Noll hit a weak groundball to shortstop that he beat out for an infield single, scoring Vargas and handing Rochester a 4-3 edge.  

That advantage would not last as the Mets would not be denied on this night. In the eighth, Ender Inciarte singled with one out. Khalil Lee followed with a single that moved Inciarte to third, but Lee was thrown out trying to stretch the single into a double, leaving two outs in the inning. Mark Vientos walked to extend the inning, bringing exactly the right man to the plate. Blankenhorn did damage one more time, grounding a double down the third-base line to score Inciarte and Vientos and put the Mets in front for good at a 5-4 margin.   

Travis Blankenhorn has been one of the best hitters in Minor League Baseball over the last six weeks. Since May 12th, Blankenhorn is hitting .350 with five home runs, 11 doubles and 22 RBIs. The 25-year-old has also reached in 29 of his last 33 games.  

Syracuse locked down the win in the eighth and ninth, but it wouldn't necessarily come easy. After Locke St. John worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning, Michel Otañez entered in the bottom of the ninth with the chance to earn his first-career save in Triple-A. After getting two quick outs to start the inning, the drama began. First, Meneses worked a walk to extend the game. Then, Palacios was hit by a pitch to put the potential winning run on base. Noll walked to the plate hoping to be a hero, but Otañez wouldn't have it, inducing a groundout into a fielder's choice to end the game, handing the Mets their third separate one-run win of the week.   

Syracuse plays the final game in its 12-game, two-week road trip on Sunday against the Rochester Red Wings. Left-hander Thomas Szapucki is slated to start for the Mets, opposed by right-hander Logan Verrett for the Red Wings. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. Syracuse has won seven of the first 11 games on its current journey away from NBT Bank Stadium. 

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