Syracuse, NY – The Syracuse Mets split a doubleheader with the Rochester Red Wings on Friday night at NBT Bank Stadium, dropping the opener 5-0 before rallying for a dramatic 7-4 walk-off victory in the nightcap.
Rochester (36-25, 81-53) opened the scoring in the fifth inning of game one. Sam Petersen singled and Seaver King doubled to put runners on second and third with nobody out. Phillip Glasser brought home Petersen with a groundout before Trey Lipscomb’s fielder’s choice scored King to make it 2-0.
The Red Wings added three more runs in the sixth. Andrew Pinckney walked and Maxwell Romero Jr. singled before Petersen launched a three-run homer to right-center field, extending Rochester’s lead to 5-0.
Rochester’s pitching staff held Syracuse to just three hits in the opener. Isaac Lyon tossed five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out five. Kyle Nicolas struck out all three batters he faced in the sixth, and Paxton Schultz worked a scoreless seventh.
Émilien Pitre and Hayden Senger each recorded a single for Syracuse, while MJ Melendez added a ground-rule double.
In game two, neither team scored through the first four innings, just like game one, before Rochester broke through in the fifth. Johnathon Thomas singled, stole second and scored on Trey Lipscomb’s two-run homer to right-center field, putting the Red Wings ahead 2-0.
Syracuse (33-26, 71-63) answered in the bottom of the fifth. Nick Lorusso doubled and Jose Ramos singled to put runners on the corners. Kevin Parada grounded out to score Lorusso, and after a throwing error on a pickoff attempt allowed Ramos to reach third, Zack Short doubled him home to tie the game at 2-2.
Rochester regained the lead in the eighth when Riley Adams hit a two-run homer to left field, scoring Cayden Wallace and making it 4-2.
The Mets responded immediately in the bottom half. Jose Ramos started the inning at second and Zack Short walked before D’Andre Smith singled to load the bases. Vidal Bruján then delivered a two-run double to right field, scoring Ramos and Short to tie the game at 4-4.
Rochester had a chance to take the lead in the ninth, but Syracuse escaped the top half of the inning without allowing a run.
In the bottom of the ninth, Eric Wagaman started the inning at second base. Nick Lorusso struck out before Jose Ramos was hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second. Hayden Senger then stepped to the plate and launched a three-run walk-off homer to right-center field on the only pitch he saw in the game, scoring Wagaman and Ramos and giving the Mets a 7-4 victory.
Bruján finished game two with one hits and two RBIs, while Ramos scored three times. Short added a double and scored, and Senger delivered the biggest hit of the night with his 11th home run of the season.
The Mets will look to carry the momentum from the walk-off win into Saturday’s contest against Rochester at NBT Bank Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.