Rochester, NY – A late comeback slipped away for the Syracuse Mets, as the Rochester Red Wings walked off with an 8-5 victory on Monday afternoon at Innovative Field.
Rochester (31-20) struck first in the bottom of the third inning. Seaver King launched a solo home run before Yohandy Morales added an RBI single and Abimelec Ortiz followed with a run-scoring double, giving the Red Wings a 3-0 lead.
Syracuse (27-24) got on the board in the fourth. Eric Wagaman reached on an error and later scored on an RBI double by Andy Ibáñez, trimming the deficit to 3-1.
The Mets pulled even in the sixth. Jihwan Bae singled before Wagaman blasted a two-run home run to center field, his third homer of the season and second as a Met, tying the game, 3-3.
Rochester answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning. Andrew Pinckney worked a walk and later scored on an RBI single by King, putting the Red Wings back in front, 4-3.
Syracuse surged ahead in the eighth. Bae walked and stole second before Christian Arroyo ripped a double to left field. Ryan Clifford tied the game with a sacrifice fly, and Wagaman followed with an RBI single to give the Mets a 5-4 lead.
The lead did not last long. In the bottom of the ninth, Trey Lipscomb led off with a game-tying solo home run. Later in the inning, Robert Hassell III walked and Yohandy Morales singled before Ortiz launched a three-run walk-off homer to right-center field, lifting Rochester to the 8-5 win.
On the mound, Jack Weisenburger started for Syracuse and allowed three runs over five innings while striking out six. Ben Simon surrendered the go-ahead run in the sixth, while Daniel Duarte tossed a scoreless eighth inning. Dylan Ross took the loss after allowing four runs in the ninth, including the walk-off home run to Ortiz.
Syracuse continues its series with Rochester on Wednesday. LHP Zach Thornton is slated to start for the Mets against RHP Riley Cornelio. First pitch is scheduled for 11:05 a.m.