Syracuse rallies late to beat Lehigh Valley 5-4 in comeback win

Ronny Mauricio turned Syracuse’s comeback from a scramble into a clean reversal at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Pennsylvania, lining a two-run single in the eighth inning to push the Mets past Lehigh Valley, 5-4, on June 24. Tyrone Taylor started the chase with an RBI single in the seventh during his rehab assignment, and Ben Simon finished it after Syracuse survived a ninth-inning push from the IronPigs.

Lehigh Valley had spent most of the night in control, and Brian Keller threw six shutout innings on 82 pitches, allowing two hits, three walks and five strikeouts, while Syracuse starter Jack Weisenburger was gone after recording only five outs and giving up three runs. The IronPigs built that lead in the second inning when Dylan Moore doubled in a run, Dylan Carlson drew a bases-loaded walk and Steward Berroa followed with a forceout that scored another.

Syracuse cracked Keller’s cushion in the seventh. Hayden Senger reached on a throwing error, Ronny Mauricio singled and Taylor drove a ball to center for the Mets’ first run. Taylor’s swing came in a rehab start, and Syracuse announced on June 20 that Taylor and Francisco Lindor were scheduled to continue their rehab assignments with the club.

Cristian Pache singled, Yonny Hernández doubled and Grae Kessinger grounded out to bring home one run before Mauricio delivered the decisive blow, a two-run single to center that scored Hernández and Jihwan Bae and put Syracuse ahead 4-3. Mauricio finished with two RBIs, while Hernández kept finding ways on base and ended 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI single.

Syracuse added insurance in the ninth when Nick Morabito singled, stole second and third, and then scored on Hernández’s infield single and an error by shortstop Christian Cairo. That run mattered when Paul McIntosh answered with a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth, but Simon retired the next two batters to earn his first save. Adbert Alzolay and Ofreidy Gómez helped bridge the bullpen work, and Syracuse held Lehigh Valley to one run over the final four innings to improve to 40-37 overall and 2-0 in the second half. The IronPigs dropped to 35-42 overall and 0-2 in the second half after Tanner Banks was charged with the loss.