On Wednesday night, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (14-12) saw their five-game winning streak snapped at the hands of the Syracuse Mets (9-16) from NBT Bank Stadium.
James Marvel (0-4, 14.59 ERA) was on the mound for Lehigh Valley, while the Mets started Jose Rodriguez (0-1, 10.95 ERA).
At the top of the third inning, the IronPigs struck first. IronPigs’ first baseman Darick Hall was up at-bat with runners on first and second base. He singled on a ground ball to center field, scoring a run for a 1-0 lead. It was Hall’s 31st RBI of the year.
IronPigs’ starter James Marvel got off to a good start, shutting down the Mets’ batters in the first two innings. However, he ran into trouble in the bottom of the third inning and never recovered. Mets’ shortstop Wyatt Young was up at-bat with runners on the corners. Young singled on a line drive to center field, scoring a run that tied the game 1-1.
Then, Mets’ center fielder Nick Plummer followed up with an RBI single to center field, scoring a run that put Syracuse up 2-1 with no outs. At this point, the IronPigs were willing to trade runs for outs.
Mets’ second baseman Travis Blankenhorn grounded into a forceout to IronPigs’ first baseman Darick Hall, but not before adding another run 3-1 with one out.
Then, Mets’ designated hitter Patrick Mazeika grounded into a forceout, once again to Darick Hall, adding another run, and the Mets lead was now 4-1 with two outs. The IronPigs got the last out to end the inning.
The IronPigs made it a one-run game at the top of the fourth inning. IronPigs’ catcher Austin Wynns was up at-bat with a runner on first base. He hit a two-run home run out to left field, cutting the Mets’ lead 4-3.
However, the Mets’ got one of their runs back in the bottom of the fifth inning. Mets’ designated hitter Patrick Mazeika was up at-bat with a runner on second base with two outs. He singled on a line drive over Darick Hall’s head to right field, scoring a run for a 5-3 lead. Mazeika tried to reach second base, but the IronPigs got him for the final out.
This would be it for James Marvel, who continues to struggle on the mound pitching five innings, allowing six hits, five runs, two walks, and two strikeouts.
The IronPigs offense struggled to get runners in scoring position against the Mets’ bullpen. At the top of the ninth inning, Mets’ closer Colin Holderman got the last three outs, and the Mets won the game 5-3. It was Holderman’s second save of the season for Syracuse.
The win went to Mets’ relief pitcher R.J. Alvarez (2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO), and the loss went to IronPigs’ starter James Marvel, his fifth loss of the season. He is now 0-5 with an ERA of 13.30.
Game three of the six-game series continues today at 6:35 pm. Tickets for the game can be purchased thanks to our friends at StubHub.
