Lehigh Valley IronPigs vs Syracuse Mets

Game 2 started disastrously for Syracuse. Starter Dan Hammer recorded just one out and was charged with four earned runs in the bottom of the first. A passed ball by catcher Shawn Ross scored Otto Kemp, Colby Thomas followed with a two-run double, and Payton Henry added an RBI single to give Lehigh Valley a 4-0 lead.

The Mets answered emphatically in the second. D'Andre Smith singled home Nick Lorusso, Zack Short doubled home two more, and Nick Morabito crushed a two-run homer to left — his 13th of the season — flipping the score to 5-4 Syracuse.

The Mets tacked on in the third when Smith reached on an infield single and a throwing error that allowed MJ Melendez to score from second, making it 6-4.

Lehigh Valley retook the lead in the fourth. Robert Moore tripled, and Kameron Misner tied the game with a two-run single. Misner later scored on a wild pitch from Jack Weisenburger, putting the IronPigs up 7-6.

Syracuse tied it in the sixth. Zack Short walked, advanced on a sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch, then scored on a Ronny Mauricio groundout — 7-7.

Billy Amick put Syracuse ahead for good in the seventh. The first baseman launched Lou Trivino III's changeup 406 feet to right field for a solo home run, his fourth since a recent promotion to Triple-A and his fourth in as many games. The exit velocity was 108.4 mph.

Billy Amick (Syracuse): 1-for-4, game-winning solo HR (4th in 4 games since Triple-A promotion). Batting .722 OPS at the level.

Brian Metoyer (Syracuse): Earned his first Triple-A save with 1.2 scoreless innings, 2 strikeouts, 0 hits. Owns a 1.85 ERA across 9.2 innings since his promotion, with 18 strikeouts and a .121 opponent average.

D'Andre Smith (Syracuse): 2-for-3, 2 RBIs, 1 BB, 1 R. Has posted a 1.036 OPS since moving to Triple-A.

Zack Short (Syracuse): 1-for-3, 2-run double, BB, 2 RBIs.

Colby Thomas (Lehigh Valley): 2-run double in the first inning.

Game 2 featured 15 combined runs, 12 hits (five for each side), and three lead changes across the seven-inning contest. Lehigh Valley went 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base while committing one error. Syracuse used six pitchers after Hammer's early exit, with Ofreidy Gomez and Metoyer combining for three scoreless innings to close the door. Lehigh Valley's Lou Trivino III took the loss (3-1), allowing one run on one hit in 1.2 innings.

The sweep pushed Syracuse to 67-63 (29-26 in the second half), while Lehigh Valley dropped to 62-67 (27-27). The Mets have now won three straight and sit in a strong position for the second-half playoff race. The series concludes Sunday at Coca-Cola Park, with first pitch at 1:15 p.m. Lehigh Valley sends Chuck King (9-7, 4.23 ERA) against Syracuse's Xzavion Curry (3-0, 3.84 ERA).

Syracuse showed resilience after falling behind big early, turning to a deep bullpen after a disastrous start. Amick's continued hot streak since his promotion gives the Mets a legitimate power threat in the middle of the order. For Lehigh Valley, wasting a four-run first inning and a seventh-inning blown lead sums up a frustrating day where they were dominated in Game 1 and couldn't hold momentum in Game 2.