IL1 Syracuse Mets

IronPigs Squeak Past Chiefs in Doubleheader Sweep

Published on August 19, 2016 under International League (IL1)
Syracuse Mets News Release


Syracuse, NY - The Syracuse Chiefs dropped both games of a doubleheader to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs Friday night by scores of 4-3 and 3-2. The IronPigs got a strong start from Phil Klein in game one, who took the win despite a last-inning Chiefs rally. The later game saw extra-inning action for a second straight night, capped with a Darnell Sweeney sacrifice fly that plated Cam Perkins for the game-winning run.

Lehigh Valley (76-51) scored game one's first runs in the second inning against Taylor Hill. After Cedric Hunter reached on a fielder's choice, Jesmuel Valentin singled to put IronPigs on first and second with one out. Klein then attempted a sacrifice bunt. Hill fielded the ball and forced out the lead runner Hunter at third. Valentin moved to second on the play as Klein reached first. Perkins followed that play with a single to plate Valentin, giving the IronPigs a 1-0 lead.

Four singles in the third upped Lehigh Valley's advantage to 3-0. Cody Asche opened the inning with a single, and after a pop out, moved to third on an Andrew Knapp base hit. Brock Stassi followed with another single to score Asche and advance Knapp to second. Hunter logged the third consecutive single in the ensuing at-bat to bring Knapp around for the 3-0 lead.

The IronPigs tacked on what proved to be a key insurance run in the seventh. Hill left the game prior to the frame, ending his outing after six innings. He gave up 11 hits in the start while allowing three earned runs. Former four-year Washington pitcher Sean Burnett then came on in relief to work the seventh. He was acquired earlier in the day from Minnesota in return for cash considerations. Burnett set down the first two IronPigs before Knapp blooped a single into right field. Stassi kept the inning alive with another single right back up the middle before Hunter tacked on a third straight base hit to score Knapp.

Syracuse (56-71) finally got on the board in the seventh. Klein had allowed only three hits while striking out eight through six innings. He ran into trouble in the seventh. Matt Skole opened the frame with a line-drive home run into the Family Fun Park in right field to cut the lead to 4-1. After a strikeout, Matt den Dekker reached on an error to bring up Jason Martinson. With one swing of the bat, Martinson cut the Lehigh Valley lead to 4-3, launching a towering home run that just cleared the wall in left field above the leaping David Lough. Klein was then replaced by reliever Luis Garcia, who recorded two outs to end the first game of the doubleheader.

The Chiefs struck first in game two, plating a run off Lehigh Valley starter James Russell in the fourth. Michael Taylor did much of the damage, singling with one out before stealing second base. The throw to second was offline and went into center field, allowing Taylor to advance to third. Skole capitalized moments later, plating Taylor with a single to give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead.

Lehigh Valley responded in the fifth against Paolo Espino. Sweeney opened the inning with a single before an errant pickoff attempt allowed him to take second base. Espino then walked Valentin to put two runners on. The IronPigs tied the game when the ensuing batter Darin Ruf doubled down the left-field line. That scored Sweeney and advanced Valentin to third. David Lough gave his team the lead in the next at-bat, driving in Valentin with a sacrifice fly to right for a 2-1 advantage.

Espino helped his own cause in the home side of the fifth by earning a one-out walk. After a Steve Lombardozzi line out, Zach Collier came up to bat. He lined a double off the wall in right-center field. Espino was off on contact, coming around from first to score the game-tying run.

The game remained knotted at two until the eighth inning when Rafael Martin came on in relief. Perkins opened the frame with a leadoff single. Martin then walked two of the next three Lehigh Valley batters he faced to load the bases with one out. Sweeney capitalized on the free passes, plating Perkins to give the IronPigs a 3-2 lead that would stand until final. The Chiefs put their first two runners aboard in the frame when Taylor walked and Skole was hit by a pitch. Caleb Ramsey followed with a sacrifice bunt to put Chiefs on second and third with one out. Neither runner would score, as Martinson and Jhonatan Solano both struck out to end the game.

Syracuse and Lehigh Valley continue their five-game series Saturday night from NBT Bank Stadium. The Chiefs have scheduled Austin Voth for the start opposite the IronPigs' David Buchanan. First pitch is set for 7:05.

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International League Stories from August 19, 2016


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