Syracuse offense breaks out in 9-6 win over Durham on Friday night

Syracuse, NY – The Syracuse Mets had a fun Friday night at NBT Bank Stadium, breaking out for nine runs in a 9-6 win over the Durham Bulls in front of more than 6,000 fans in the Salt City. The two teams have now split the first four games of the weeklong, six-game series.

Durham (59-65, 23-26) came out on fire on Friday night as back-to-back homers to start the game from Jonathan Aranda and Austin Shenton put the Bulls out in front, 2-0, two batters into the game. Aranda homered on the game’s very first pitch and then Shenton homered on the game’s fourth pitch.

The Bulls scored another run in the top of the second to make it 3-0, but then Mets starting pitcher Mike Vasil flipped the script. Vasil only allowed one more run in his final four innings of work, finishing his night with a quality start. In six innings, Vasil allowed three earned runs on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Vasil allowed just two hits among the final 12 Bulls batters that he faced.

While Vasil was turning around his night on the mound, the Syracuse (67-55, 21-27) offense turned around their night in the bottom of the third. After a scoreless first two innings with no hits, the Mets completely flipped the script in the third. Syracuse scored six runs on six hits to roar in front, highlighted by a go-ahead, three-run homer from Drew Gilbert. It was the second home run in the last three games for Gilbert. 11 men came to the plate in the six-run scoring bonanza in the third inning for the Mets, who were also helped by two pivotal errors in the inning from the Bulls.

Another scoring flurry came in the fifth, with three more Mets runs scurrying across home plate to make it a nine-run outburst on the night for the Mets. Austin Allen drove in one run with an RBI single and then Yolmer Sánchez brought in two more with a two-run single. Both men had driven in runs in the third and finished the night with five combined hits and five runs driven in.

The nine runs in the game for the Mets was the most in a game since a 13-2 win against Rochester on July 19th, a 28-game span.

It remained a 9-4 game into the eighth when a pair of two-out RBI hits from Kenny Piper and Nick Schnell trimmed the Durham deficit from five runs to three runs, 9-6. Piper has been particularly productive the last two games, driving in four runs.

Entering the top of the ninth, Matt Gage came out of the bullpen hoping to earn his fifth save for Syracuse in as many opportunities this season. Gage did just that, setting down the Bulls in order to clinch the win that evened up the game at two games apiece for the Mets.

The Syracuse Mets are back home all week to take on the Durham Bulls for the first and only time in the 2024 season. Game five of the series against the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays is set for a 6:35 p.m. first pitch on Saturday. Right-hander Tylor Megill is slated to start on the mound for the Mets.