Syracuse beats Rochester, 8-5, on Saturday night at NBT Bank Stadium

Syracuse, NY - The Syracuse Mets jumped out to an early 7-0 lead and never looked back en route to an 8-5 victory over the Rochester Red Wings on Saturday night at NBT Bank Stadium. With the win, Syracuse improves to a new high-water mark of 24 games above .500 this season. The Mets are now also tied for first place in the second half International League standings.

Syracuse (59-35, 13-7) got on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Luisangel Acuña led off with a double, and two batters later, Brett Baty singled to score Acuña for a 1-0 Syracuse lead.

The Mets added runs in the second. With one out JT Schwartz hit a ball over the wall in right-center field for his first Triple-A home run and a 2-0 Syracuse lead. Later in the inning with the bases loaded, Baty singled into right field, scoring both Matt O'Neill and Acuña to make it a 4-0 ballgame.

In the third, Cortes led off with a walk and scored on a Schwartz double to right-center field for a 5-0 Syracuse advantage. Austin Allen followed with a two-run homer over the right-field wall to blast the Mets in front 7-0.

Meanwhile, Kodai Senga began another Major League rehab start for Syracuse strong with three scoreless innings. Unfortunately, things began to unravel in the top of the fourth. Rochester (51-42, 13-7) collected five straight hits and had seven consecutive batters reach base to begin the frame as five runs scored to cut the Syracuse lead to two, 7-5. Brady House hit a three-run home run, and Dylan Crews had an RBI single in the inning. House and Crews are two of the top three prospects in the Washington Nationals' organization.

Senga finished the game with three innings pitched plus the batters he faced in the fourth, allowing eight hits and five runs while walking three batters and striking out one. Senga threw 79 pitches, including 57 strikes.

Syracuse responded to Rochester's scoring splurge with a run in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Luke Ritter worked a walk. Two batters later with two outs, Mike Brosseau doubled to the right-field corner, scoring Ritter to give the Mets a three-run lead, 8-5.

From there, Syracuse's bullpen locked things down. Eric Orze, Bryce Montes de Oca, Alex Young, Wilkin Ramos, and Cole Sulser combined to pitch six scoreless innings while allowing just one hit, securing the 8-5 win for the Mets.

Syracuse and Rochester conclude their three-game series on Sunday. Right-hander Dom Hamel is scheduled to start on the mound for the Mets opposite Red Wings right-hander Thaddeus Ward. First pitch is slated for 1:05 p.m.