Brett Baty go-ahead home run lifts Syracuse to 8-6 win over Rochester on Thursday night 

Syracuse, NY – The Syracuse Mets won yet again on Thursday night, taking down the Rochester Red Wings for the third straight night to start their weeklong, six-game series. This game, however, was like riding a roller coaster. After winning the first two games of the series by a combined 16 runs, the Mets squeaked out an 8-6 win on another warm night at NBT Bank Stadium in front of more than 5,300 fans. The contest featured four different lead changes, with the Mets scoring the final three runs to emerge victorious.

Rochester (36-34) got to the Syracuse (45-26) starter early, scoring a run off Dom Hamel in the top of the first via an RBI double from Riley Adams for a 1-0 Red Wings lead.

The Mets tied it up in the bottom of the third on an RBI groundout from Luisangel Acuña, but the lead wouldn’t even last a half inning as Rochester scored twice in the top of the fourth to regain the lead at 3-1. Consecutive two-out RBI hits from Dylan Crews and Harold Ramírez in the frame surged the Wings back out in front. Crews now has RBI hits in two straight games in his first week at the Triple-A level.

In the bottom of the fifth, with the Mets still down 3-1, the game hit warp speed. Syracuse roared in front with three runs scored in a three-batter sequence. A solo home run from Rhylan Thomas with one out made it 3-2, followed by a Yolmer Sánchez double and an Austin Allen two-run dinger to make it a 4-3 game in a flash.

Rochester resiliently battled back in the top of the sixth, scoring twice to push the game back in their favor by a 5-4 score. A Darren Baker RBI single highlighted the inning, his second base hit of the evening and his fifth overall of the week.

Then it was Syracuse’s turn to battle back. Trayce Thompson unloaded on a 3-1 pitch with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, launching it over the left-field fence for a game-tying, solo home run, knotting the score, 5-5. Thompson now has 16 home runs on the season.

In the seventh, the drama continued. The Red Wings scored yet again in the top of the seventh. A two-out RBI single from Brady Lindsly pushed the road team in the lead by a 6-5 margin.

In the bottom of the seventh, Brett Baty stepped into the spotlight. With a runner on first base, two outs, and the count at 1-2, Baty pounded a laser beam over the center-field fence for a go-ahead, two-run shot that propelled the Mets to a 7-6 lead. The home run proved to be the game-winning blow. Both of Baty’s hits so far this week are home runs that travelled well more than 400 feet over the outfield fence.

In the eighth, an insurance run came when a Thompson sacrifice fly plated Luke Ritter to make it an 8-6 game.

From there, it was the Syracuse bullpen’s turn to shut the door yet again. Matt Festa pitched a clean eighth, and Danny Young worked a 1-2-3 ninth to clinch yet another win for the Mets, their 45th of the season that pushed their win-loss record to a high-water mark of 19 games above the .500 mark for the season. Syracuse is now 30-1 this season when leading after seven innings and 32-1 when being up after eight innings.

The Syracuse Mets are home all week wrapping up their first two-week homestand of the season. The second half of the 12-game homestand is against the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, the Rochester Red Wings. Game four of the series is set for a 6:35 p.m. first pitch on Thursday. Right-hander José Butto is expected to start for the Mets against right-hander Spenser Watkins for the Red Wings.