Syracuse scores six in first inning, tops Buffalo 9-5

Syracuse took control before Buffalo had settled in, scoring six runs in the first inning Tuesday night and turning the rest of the game into a chase at NBT Bank Stadium. Christian Arroyo opened with his third home run of the season, and the inning kept rolling from there as Ryan Clifford and Eric Wagaman singled, Jihwan Bae drove in two with a triple, Cristian Pache added an RBI single and Ben Rortvedt capped the burst with a two-run homer in a 9-5 win.

That first-frame avalanche mattered because Syracuse never needed to grind for separation again. The Mets finished with 14 hits, and the attack came from all over the lineup. Wagaman went 3 for 5 with two RBIs, Rortvedt drove in three, and Bae’s triple was one of the biggest swings of the night. For a Triple-A club, that kind of multi-player surge is the sort that can change the feel of a series quickly, especially when it comes from hitters who can reshape an upper-level depth chart with sustained production.

Buffalo did not fold after the six-run punch. Je’Von Ward started the Bisons’ response with a two-run homer in the third, then doubled and scored in the fifth as the Bisons trimmed the margin to 6-5. Charles McAdoo also homered to keep Buffalo within range, and for a few innings the game had the look of a tight back-and-forth contest rather than a runaway. But Syracuse answered in the seventh when Wagaman lined a two-run single and Rortvedt later added a sacrifice fly to push the lead back out to 9-5.

Jack Weisenburger gave Syracuse a workable start, allowing two runs in four and one-third innings, and the bullpen handled the rest. Joey Gerber earned the win, A.J. Minter recorded his third hold of the season, and the relievers finished the final innings without allowing another run. Syracuse improved to 24-21 with the victory, while Buffalo dropped to 17-25, a useful step for a club that had already been swept in a doubleheader at NBT Bank Stadium earlier in the month. The teams were set to keep seeing each other, with Jonah Tong listed next for Syracuse and Chad Dallas for Buffalo, and the next round only sharpened the feeling that this stretch would shape the International League picture for both clubs.