The Lehigh Valley IronPigs (68-81, 33-41) concluded the 2026 season against the Syracuse Mets (81-68, 43-31) on Sunday afternoon at NBT Bank Stadium. Brian Keller was on the mound for Lehigh Valley against Xzavion Curry of Syracuse.
In the bottom of the second inning, Syracuse had a runner on second base when Jose Ramos put the Mets up 2-0 by hitting Keller’s sweeper for a two-run home run at 387 feet to left field. It was his fourth home run of the season, and the exit velocity off the bat was 102.3 mph. With two outs, a flyout by Christian Cairo ended the inning.
Moving to the top of the fourth inning with one out, Lehigh Valley center fielder Colby Thomas hit Saul Garcia’s four-seam fastball at 403 feet to left-center field, cutting Syracuse’s lead to 2-1. It was his first home run of the season, and the exit velocity off the bat was 105.5 mph.
Lehigh Valley shortstop Raider Tello followed up by hitting Saul Garcia’s four-seam fastball for a solo home run at 332 feet to right field, tying the game 2-2. It was his second home run of the season, and the exit velocity off the bat was 97.8 mph. With two outs, a groundout by Jordan Dissin ended the inning.
Lehigh Valley starter Brian Keller went three innings, allowing two hits, two runs, one walk, and four strikeouts, throwing 49 pitches, of which 31 were strikes. Ryan Cusick pitched for Lehigh Valley in the bottom of the fourth inning. Cusick went two innings with two strikeouts, throwing 31 pitches, of which 16 were strikes.
Michael Mercado pitched for Lehigh Valley in the bottom of the sixth inning. He struck out one, throwing 14 pitches, of which 11 were strikes, to get three outs. Lou Trivino III pitched for Lehigh Valley in the bottom of the seventh inning. Trivino III put runners on the corners with one out when Christian Cairo hit an RBI single to center field, scoring Jose Ramos to give the Mets a 3-2 lead. With two outs, Trivino III struck out Jefferson Rojas to end the inning. He allowed three hits, one run, and one strikeout, throwing 17 pitches, of which 12 were strikes.
At the top of the eighth inning, Lehigh Valley left fielder Wuilfredo Antunez hit a triple off the wall at right field. With one out, Otto Kemp tied the game 3-3 with a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Antunez. A groundout by Keaton Anthony ended the inning.
Kirby Snead pitched for Lehigh Valley in the bottom of the eighth inning. He gave up a hit and struck out two, throwing 14 pitches, of which 10 were strikes. Snead went two innings, allowing a hit, a walk, and two strikeouts, throwing 33 pitches, of which 22 were strikes. The game went to extra innings.
Mitch Neunborn pitched for Lehigh Valley in the bottom of the ninth inning. Neunborn loaded the bases with one out. With two outs, a flyout by Jose Ramos ended the inning. At the top of the 11th inning, Lehigh Valley had a runner on second base when Otto Kemp hit an RBI single to right field, scoring Wuilfredo Antunez for a 4-3 lead. Two batters later with two outs, Paul McIntosh made it 5-3 with an RBI double to left field, scoring Kemp. Colby Thomas popped out to first baseman Billy Amick to end the inning.
Neunborn pitched in the bottom of the 11th inning. Neunborn loaded the bases when D’Andre Smith grounded into a forceout at second base. With two outs, a flyout by Jefferson Rojas ended the game. Neunborn went two innings, allowing a hit, a run, and three walks, throwing 36 pitches, of which 22 were strikes, to get the final three outs of the game.
The IronPigs beat the Mets 5-4 to snap a six-game losing streak. Lehigh Valley finished the afternoon with eight hits, committed one error, went 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position, and left five men on base. Otto Kemp went 1 for 3 with two RBIs, while shortstop Raider Tello went 1 for 4 with a home run and one RBI. The win went to Lehigh Valley pitcher Mitch Neunborn (1-1), and the loss went to Syracuse pitcher Brian Metoyer (5-2).
The IronPigs will return to the field on March 26, 2027, at the Norfolk Tides.
