The Lehigh Valley IronPigs (17-15) and the Syracuse Mets (17-14) played game five at NBT Bank Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Jean Cabrera was on the mound for Lehigh Valley against Jonah Tong of Syracuse.
At the top of the first inning, Lehigh Valley had runners on the corners when third baseman Otto Kemp hit a sacrifice fly to center field. Christian Cairo scored for a 1-0 lead. With Steward Berroa on first base, he stole second base, but Bryan De La Cruz and Caleb Ricketts were unable to bring him home, and the inning was over.
In the bottom of the first inning, Syracuse had runners on first and second base when Ryan Clifford hit a ground ball RBI single to center field. A.J. Ewing scored, and the game was tied 1-1. Eric Wagaman followed up with a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Nick Morabito to give the Mets a 2-1 lead. Christian Arroyo was up to bat. He hit an RBI single to center field. Ryan Clifford scored for a 3-1 lead. With two outs and runners on second and third base, a groundout by Ben Rortvedt ended the inning.
Moving to the bottom of the second inning, Syracuse had the bases loaded when Eric Wagaman hit an RBI single to right field. Jackson Cluff scored for a 4-1 lead. With bases still loaded and two outs, Ji Hwan Bae grounded out to second base, and the inning was over.
Lehigh Valley starter Jean Cabrera pitched three innings, allowing seven hits, four runs, three walks, and one strikeout, throwing 71 pitches, of which 37 were strikes. Daniel Harper was the pitcher for Lehigh Valley in the bottom of the fourth inning. Harper pitched one inning with one strikeout, throwing 17 pitches, of which 12 were strikes.
Moving to the bottom of the fifth inning, Michael Mercado was the new pitcher for Lehigh Valley. Syracuse had a runner on third base when Mercado threw a wild pitch.
Christian Arroyo scored for a 5-1 lead. Harper walked Cristian Pache, who later stole second base. With runners on the corners, a groundout by Jackson Cluff scored Pache for a 6-1 lead. A flyout by A.J. Ewing ended the inning. Mercado pitched two innings, allowing two runs, three walks, and one strikeout, throwing 36 pitches, of which 15 were strikes.
Moving to the top of the seventh inning, Lehigh Valley had the bases loaded when shortstop Sergio Alcantara hit a two-run RBI single to center field. Robert Moore and Paul McIntosh scored, and the IronPigs cut the deficit to 6-3.
Left fielder Christian Arroyo followed up with an RBI single to right field. Oscar Mercado scored, and it was now 6-4. With one out, a flyout by Steward Berroa and a strikeout by Otto Kemp ended the inning.
Genesis Cabrera was the new pitcher for Lehigh Valley in the bottom of the seventh inning. He struck out Christian Arroyo and Cristian Pache, and a flyout by Ji Hwan Bae ended the inning.
At the top of the eighth inning, Lehigh Valley had a runner on third base when Robert Moore hit a sacrifice fly to right field. Bryan De La Cruz scored, and it was now 6-5. With two outs, a bunt groundout by Oscar Mercado ended the inning.
Moving to the top of the ninth inning, Lehigh Valley had the bases loaded when Otto Kemp hit a sacrifice fly to center field. Cade Fergus scored, and the game was tied 6-6. After a pitching change, Syracuse pitcher Ryan Lambert walked Bryan De La Cruz, which loaded the bases, and walked Caleb Ricketts. Christian Cairo scored to give the IronPigs a 7-6 lead. Paul McIntosh was next with two outs. Lambert hit him, and Steward Berroa scored for an 8-6 lead.
The Mets changed pitchers again, going with Ofreidy Gómez. He hit Oscar Mercado, scoring Bryan De La Cruz for a 9-6 lead. Cade Fergus struck out on a foul tip, and the inning was over.
Seth Johnson was the new pitcher for Lehigh Valley in the bottom of the ninth inning. Johnson allowed a hit and one strikeout, throwing 19 pitches, of which 11 were strikes, to get the final three outs of the game. The IronPigs come from behind to end a four-game losing streak by defeating the Mets 9-6. Lehigh Valley scored eight unanswered runs to win the game.
Lehigh Valley finished the afternoon with five hits, went 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position, and left nine men on base. Christian Cario went 2 for 3 with two walks and an RBI. The win went to Lehigh Valley pitcher Genesis Cabrera (1-1), Seth Johnson earned the save (1), and the loss went to Syracuse pitcher Luke Jackson (0-1).
The IronPigs and Mets conclude the six-game series on Sunday at 1:05 pm on the MLB App. Alan Rangel (2-2, 2.70 ERA) will be on the mound for Lehigh Valley against Brandon Waddell (2-0, 7.15 ERA) of Syracuse.
