Red Wings rally from six down, stun Mets 9-8 in 11 innings

Rochester turned a six-run hole into a full-blown rescue act Friday night, erasing Syracuse’s 7-1 lead and finishing off a 9-8 win in 11 innings at ESL Ballpark. The Red Wings were buried after Syracuse’s seven-run third inning, but they kept stacking power swings, kept the Mets from landing a knockout blow and finally cashed in when Phillip Glasser singled home Riley Adams in the 11th.

Syracuse did the early damage in one brutal third inning. Jackson Cluff tied the game with an RBI single, Nick Morabito followed with a two-run double, Christian Arroyo launched a three-run homer and Ryan Clifford capped the burst with a solo shot. In one frame, the Mets went from level to a seemingly safe six-run cushion, and for a while the game looked like a fast track to a comfortable road win.

Instead, Rochester started peeling the lead away one blast at a time. Andrew Pinckney and Trey Lipscomb each hit two-run homers to cut into the deficit, and Yohandy Morales became the central figure in the comeback. He homered once earlier in the night, then delivered again in the ninth with a two-out solo shot that tied the game and sent it to extras.

Syracuse briefly got back in front in the eighth when Kevin Parada doubled in a run, but that edge did not last. Morales answered again in the ninth, this time leaving the yard for his second homer of the game and tying the score at 8-8. From there, Rochester’s bullpen and offense held the Mets at bay long enough for Glasser to finish the job in the 11th.

The loss stung on multiple levels for Syracuse. It was the club’s first extra-inning defeat of the season, and it came after a night in which the offense had already done the hard part by posting seven in one inning. Once the third inning ended, the Mets never found enough insurance to protect the lead.

Rochester, meanwhile, snapped the loss that followed its 10-game winning streak and improved to 33-21. The Red Wings also earned their second walk-off win of the season. Syracuse fell to 28-26, with the game carrying extra roster weight as Kodai Senga was on rehab assignment and Nick Morabito had just been optioned back to the Mets’ Triple-A club.