Syracuse falls in heartbreaking fashion, 2-1, to Rochester on Wednesday night

Rochester, NY – The Syracuse Mets had their three-game winning streak snapped in stunning fashion on Wednesday night as the Rochester Red Wings hit a walk-off homer that powered the home team to a 2-1 win over the Mets on a sunny and pleasant spring night in the Flower City. The six-game series is now tied at one game apiece.

For the second straight night, Syracuse (15-12) jumped right in front with a run in the top of the first inning. With one out, Ben Gamel smoked a double into the gap in right-center field to put a runner in scoring position. Rylan Bannon then drove Gamel home with a sharp swing of his own, a triple that was laced to the gap in left-center field at 106 miles per hour off of his bat, giving Syracuse a 1-0 lead. Bannon also hit a two-run homer in Tuesday night’s win.

It remained a 1-0 game until the bottom of the fourth when Rochester (13-12) tied the game up. After two quick outs to start the inning, the Red Wings mounted a two-out rally. A walk to Carter Kieboom extended the inning, a double from Drew Millas put runners on second and third, and then an infield single from Jack Dunn evened up the game, 1-1.

From there, the starting pitchers ruled. Rochester’s starter, Spenser Watkins, stymied the Mets yet again, tossing six innings of one-run ball on four hits with five strikeouts. The right-hander retired the final eight batters he faced in order. Watkins tossed two scoreless innings against Syracuse in the first series of the season in late March with four strikeouts.

On the other side, Joey Lucchesi continued an über-impressive start to the 2024 season. The left-hander allowed just one run in six strong innings, walking two and striking out five. Lucchesi mitigated damage, working around the seven hits he allowed by stranding six Red Wings runners on base. The California native now has a miniscule 2.18 ERA in six starts this season.

It remained a tie game into the bottom of the ninth inning as Syracuse squandered multiple chances to take a late lead. The Mets left two runners on base in the eighth and ninth innings. Syracuse left eight runners on base in the game and went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Red Wings took advantage of the Syracuse offensive woes to end the game. With two outs, Drew Millas came to the plate and ended the game with one swing, smoking a solo shot over the center-field fence to give Rochester the 2-1 walk-off win. Millas finished the night 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, a single, and the walk-off home run. It was the first homer of the series for the Red Wings.

Syracuse continues its two-week road trip with the third game of a six-game series against Rochester on Thursday. First pitch is slated for 1:05 p.m. Right-hander Mike Vasil is expected to start for the Mets.