JT Riddle had three hits and an RBI for Syracuse on Wednesday night (Rick Nelson).
Moosic, PA – The Syracuse Mets were hampered by missed opportunities on Wednesday night as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders scored early and often with two outs, and the Mets left plenty of runners on base in the midst of a 6-1 loss to the RailRiders in the opener of a six-game series at PNC Field. The scheduled series opener on Tuesday night was washed out by rain. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Thursday evening.
Syracuse (52-72) got on the board first with a single tally in the game's initial frame. Travis Jankowski walked to start the inning, followed by a one-out single from Dominic Smith that put runners on first and second with one out. After a Mark Vientos strikeout, the Mets were in danger of stranding two runners on base without scoring to start the game. However, JT Riddle had other ideas, looping a single into shallow center field to score Jankowski and make it a 1-0 game. Riddle has taken his show on the road recently, racking up 17 total hits in his last seven road games.
From there, it would prove to be Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's (65-58) night as the RailRiders pulled away with six runs combined between the game's first four innings. It started in the bottom of the first. Estevan Florial doubled, and Oswald Peraza walked to put runners on first and second with nobody out to start the inning. The next two batters struck out and popped out, but Florial and Peraza then swiped third base and second respectively to put two runners in scoring position with two outs. After a Phillip Evans walk loaded up the bases, Armando Alvarez cleared the bases with a three-run double that one-hopped the left-field wall and made it a 3-1 game in favor of the RailRiders.
The home team scored again in the bottom of the second in curious fashion. After two outs to start the inning, a Florial double and Peraza infield single had runners on first and third with two outs. Peraza was then caught leaning off first base, and Syracuse starting pitcher Mike Montgomery threw over to try and pick him off. Peraza started running between first and second base, and in the process of the rundown, Dominic Smith dropped a throw to him, allowing Florial to score from third base, allowing Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take a 4-1 lead.
In the third and fourth, the RailRiders tacked on two more runs with both again coming with two outs. Tyler Wade's RBI double in the third drove home Evans, and a solo home run from Ben Rortvedt in the fourth would prove to be the final tally of the night for either team as the RailRiders took a 6-1 advantage. All six of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's runs in the game came with two outs.
From there, the story of the night was excellent pitching from the RailRiders. Sean Boyle started the string of excellence, allowing just one run in five and two-thirds innings with one walk and eight strikeouts. Braden Bristo, Deivi Garcia, and Jacob Barnes capped it off after that, working the final three and one-thirds innings in scoreless fashion.
Despite the strong pitching from the home team, the Mets certainly had their chances to make it a closer game than the 6-1 final score. Syracuse had just as many hits as Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (ten) and ended up leaving ten runners on base in the game. The Mets left at least one runner on base in all but two innings in the game. Syracuse also left seven runners in scoring position by the end of the night.
Syracuse is on the road for its penultimate road series of the season, taking on the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in a six-game series through Sunday. A doubleheader is scheduled for Thursday night to play games two and three in the series. The first game will begin at 5:05 p.m. with right-hander Harol González scheduled to start for the Mets. Jose Rodriguez will start the second game of the twin bill.
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