Chiefs strike out 15, beat IronPigs 5-4

Allentown, PA (August 23, 2017) - The Syracuse Chiefs edged the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, 5-4, Wednesday night at Coca-Cola Park. Matt Skole's three-run home run in the sixth inning gave the Chiefs the lead for good. Esmil Rogers struck out ten IronPigs in six innings with just two earned runs allowed. Rogers, Kevin Jepsen, Rafael Martín, and Austin Adams combined to strike out 15 batters in the win, a new Chiefs season high. Trea Turner went 0-for-3 with a walk and Jayson Werth went 0-for-1 with two walks and a hit-by-pitch in each's third game of Major League rehab with Syracuse.

Syracuse (50-80) entered the top of the sixth inning trailing 3-1. Brandon Snyder led off the frame with a walk against Tommy Bergjans. Werth was then hit in the left arm by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Neftali Soto then narrowed the IronPigs' lead to one on a double to right which scored Snyder and moved Werth to third. Switch-pitcher Pat Venditte replaced Tommy Bergjans and pitched left-handed to Skole. Skole blasted Venditte's second pitch over the right-center-field fence for his 10^th home run of the year, giving the Chiefs a 5-3 lead.
 
The Chiefs had originally taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. With one out and on a 2-2 count, Zach Collier pummeled a fly ball off Bergjans over the right-field fence for his fifth home run of the season. Collier has now reached base in 26 of 29 games in which he's had a plate appearance since joining the Chiefs.
 
Lehigh Valley (71-59) then leaped in front with a three-run bottom of the second. Brock Stassi singled off Rogers on a sharp ground ball to center to lead off the frame. Angelo Mora then reached second on an error on a dropped fly ball by Werth in left, putting runners on second and third. After a strikeout, Dylan Cozens hit a fly ball off the right-center field fence to score Stassi and move Mora to third and tie the game. Nick Rickles followed with a double to left-center, plating both Mora and Cozens for a 3-1 Lehigh Valley lead.
After the Chiefs four-run sixth inning, the IronPigs narrowed the lead to just one run in the bottom of the eighth. Martin walked Mora with one out. Andrew Pullin lined a double into right to move Mora to third. Mora then scored on a sacrifice fly by Cozens, making the score 5-4. Martin then struck out Rickles to retire the side.
 
Scott Kingery stretched out an infield single off Adams with one out in the bottom of the ninth. After Adams struck out J.P. Crawford, Kingery stole second, but Adams got Carlos Tocci to line out softly to second to end the game.
 
Syracuse wraps up its four-game series against Lehigh Valley Thursday night at 6:35 p.m. John Simms is slated to start for the Chiefs while Brandon Leibrandt is set to pitch for the IronPigs.