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IL Syracuse Mets

Meyer, Syracuse Return Home in Style with 5-4 Walk-Off Win over Lehigh Valley

June 28, 2022 - International League (IL)
Syracuse Mets News Release


Nick Meyer at bat for the Syracuse Mets
Nick Meyer at bat for the Syracuse Mets
(Syracuse Mets, Credit: Rick Nelson)

Syracuse, NY - The Syracuse Mets came home for the first time in over two weeks and sent the crowd at NBT Bank Stadium home happy, as Nick Meyer lined a walk-off single into center field in the bottom of the ninth to hand the home team a 5-4 win over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on a sunny Tuesday night in Syracuse. The Mets had played 12 straight games on the road prior to Tuesday night.

The game was tied, 4-4, heading to the bottom of the ninth. Deven Marrero reached to start the inning on an infield single, and as Robertson fielded the ball on the run for Lehigh Valley he threw it out of play, allowing Marrero to advance to second with nobody out. Syracuse was certainly in the driver's seat, but back-to-back outs by Lee and Vientos put their hopes of winning in neutral briefly. Then, Meyer came to the plate and assumed his role as hero of the night. The 25-year-old lined another single into center field, scoring Marrero and giving Syracuse a 5-4, walk-off win. Meyer finished the game 2-for-2 with three RBIs.

Syracuse (29-43) plated its first run in the bottom of the second inning, as faces old and new helped to push a run across home plate. Travis Blankenhorn came to the plate with one out and kept his hot streak going, singling to reach base. The Pennsylvania native has remarkably reached in 31 of his last 35 games, adding a double later in the game. Patrick Mazeika came to the plate and Blankenhorn immediately put himself in prime scoring position, stealing second and then running all the way to third on a poor throw to second base trying to get him out. Mazeika took advantage of the opportunity, singling home Blankenhorn to make it 1-0 Syracuse.

In the top of the third, Lehigh Valley (41-32) tied it right back up. Daniel Robertson reached on an error to begin the frame. After Dalton Guthrie struck out, Donny Sands singled. Darick Hall popped out for the second out of the inning, but Rafael Marchan singled to score Robertson and knot the game, 1-1.

In the bottom of the fourth, Syracuse roared back in front via one mighty swing. Mazeika lined a blast over the right-field fence, putting the Mets back in the driver's seat at 2-1. The catcher was making his return to Triple-A for the first time since May 12th and did so in grand style, finishing the game 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs driven in. Mazeika has appeared in 17 games with the New York Mets this season.

Lehigh Valley would scrap back in the game and briefly take the lead in the late innings, clawing across single runs in the sixth and seventh inning. In the sixth, Will Toffey doubled with two outs, followed by a walk to Scott Kingery that extended the inning. Robertson then came to the plate and singled home Toffey to tie the game up, 2-2. Robertson's game-tying single came with two strikes against him.

In the seventh, the IronPigs grabbed the lead. Donny Sands singled leading off the inning, putting a capper on a 4-for-5 evening at the plate. After a Hall strikeout, Peterson walked to make it two runners on base with one out. A Marchan fielder's choice put him on first and Sands on third with two outs, followed by a Jorge Bonifacio opposite-field single into right field that plated Sands and made it 3-2 IronPigs. It was the first lead of the night for Lehigh Valley.

In the bottom of the seventh, Meyer took his first turn in the spotlight. He came on as a defensive substitute for Daniel Palka in the top half of the inning and found himself striding to the plate with one out in the bottom half of the frame, as Deven Marrero and Khalil Lee stood on third and second base. Meyer got the job done, lacing a sharp single into shallow center field to score Marrero and Lee and put Syracuse in front, 4-3, in the process.

It remained 4-3 into the top of the ninth inning, when Hall tied the game very quickly. While leading off the frame, he launched a no-doubt home run over the right-center field fence to knot the game right back up at four before Meyer's winning hit in the bottom of the ninth for Syracuse. Hall now has four extra-base hits (including three doubles) against Syracuse this season.

Not to be lost amidst all the late excitement, Syracuse starting pitcher Nate Fisher twirled a brilliant outing. The left-hander went five innings for Syracuse, allowing just one unearned run in a starting role with three strikeouts and no walk. It was the longest outing of the season for Fisher, who had made four prior appearances for the Mets before Tuesday night's game. He has also pitched 12 times for Binghamton in Double-A this season as well.

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Nick Meyer at bat for the Syracuse Mets
Nick Meyer at bat for the Syracuse Mets
(Rick Nelson)		   

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