IL1 Syracuse Mets

Chiefs Fall in Finale at Columbus

August 7, 2011 - International League (IL1)
Syracuse Mets News Release


The Syracuse Chiefs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, fell 6-4 to the Columbus Clippers on Sunday night. The loss gave Columbus a four-game sweep of the Chiefs from Huntington Park. Chad Huffman drove in four runs for the Clippers, with his two-run double in the seventh inning providing the game-winning runs.

After waiting out a rain delay of over two hours, Syracuse (49-64) struck early with a first inning run. Steve Lombardozzi led off the game with a single, and he scored when Chris Marrero doubled to left field with two outs. The double was Marrero's team-high 25th.

In the bottom of the first, Columbus (73-42) answered immediately in unsurprising fashion - with a home run. Cord Phelps launched a 3-1 pitch from starter Brad Peacock to right-center field for his eleventh home run, tying the game at one.

But Marrero answered for the Chiefs in the third inning. Matt Antonelli singled with one out, and Marrero blasted a 2-2 pitch from Zach McAllister well over the left field wall for his thirteenth home run.

Columbus retaliated in the middle innings. In the fourth, a Paul Phillips single scored Travis Buck with one out. Peacock would strand the bases loaded, limiting the damage to one, and keeping the Chiefs ahead 3-2. But the Clippers took the lead for the first time in the fifth when Huffman blasted a two-out, two-run home run to left field. The home run was his twelfth of the season.

Syracuse was far from done, as the Chiefs tied the game at four in the seventh. Corey Brown walked with one out, and after a wild pitch by reliever Mitch Talbot, Antonelli singled to center field with two outs, scoring Brown. The Chiefs' third baseman finished the night with three hits.

In a game where the scoring swung back and forth like a pendulum, Columbus regained the momentum against reliever Ryan Tatusko in the seventh. Jerad Head reached on a bunt single, Buck walked, and a wild pitch advanced both runners with one out. Huffman then put Columbus back ahead with a two-run double to right field, giving the Clippers a 6-4 advantage. Relievers Mitch Talbot and Josh Judy did the rest, closing out the Chiefs with two scoreless innings of relief.

Syracuse returns home for the first time in ten days. The Chiefs will face the Buffalo Bisons at 7:00 on Monday night.

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