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Knights Fall to Mets on Friday, 12-5

Mark Payton Had Three Hits, Now Batting .313 on the 2024 Season
Mark Payton had a three-hit night on Friday. (Laura Wolff/Charlotte Knights)
September 20, 2024

(SYRACUSE, NY) -- The Charlotte Knights dropped game four of the six-game series against the Syracuse Mets by a score of 12-5 on Friday night from NBT Bank Stadium in Syracuse, NY. The Knights scored three of the five runs in the top of the ninth inning. The two teams

(SYRACUSE, NY) -- The Charlotte Knights dropped game four of the six-game series against the Syracuse Mets by a score of 12-5 on Friday night from NBT Bank Stadium in Syracuse, NY. The Knights scored three of the five runs in the top of the ninth inning. The two teams are now tied in the series, 2-2.

Offensively, Charlotte left fielder Mark Payton led the way with three hits and bumped up his 2024 batting average to a remarkable .313. For Payton, one of his three hits on Friday night was his team-leading 30th double of the season. He also leads the team in batting average, runs scored (70) and hits (129).

Charlotte first baseman Tim Elko also continued his hot hitting and extended his hitting streak to nine consecutive games. He went 2-for-4 with two RBI in the game for the Knights.

The Mets put together a solid offensive night, scoring five runs in the bottom of the second inning and five more runs in the bottom of the third inning. Charlotte RHP Cory Abbott (5-5, 5.80) was saddled with the loss after he started and allowed eight runs on six hits over just 2.1 innings pitched.

Syracuse center fielder Drew Gilbert paced the team’s offense on Friday with a 3-for-4 game with one run scored, one home run and a game-high five RBI. He launched his ninth home run of the season in the five-run second inning. The Mets also received home runs from DJ Stewart and Pablo Reyes.

RHP Dom Hamel (5-9, 6.79) earned the win for the Mets in the game.

The Knights will continue the six-game road series against the Syracuse Mets (Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets) from Syracuse, NY on Saturday night. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. and the game can be heard live on www.CharlotteKnights.com beginning at 6:30 p.m.