Syracuse sweeps doubleheader from Lehigh Valley with shutout and walk-off win

The Syracuse Mets did not just sweep Lehigh Valley. They did it two completely different ways, first with a 7-0 shutout and then with a 4-3 extra-inning walk-off that turned a tense split into a full doubleheader sweep at NBT Bank Stadium.

Rain pushed the original Wednesday night game to Thursday, April 30, and the makeup turned into a single-admission doubleheader that started at 4:05 p.m. Syracuse handled the compressed schedule like a club that knew exactly what kind of night it wanted. One game was pure control. The other demanded nerve.

The opener belonged to Jack Wenninger. Christian Arroyo put Syracuse on the board with an RBI single in the bottom of the first, then the Mets broke it open with four runs in the third and added two more in the fifth. Wenninger dealt five and two-thirds scoreless innings, struck out seven for a season high and never let the IronPigs build any momentum. Jonathan Pintaro finished the last four outs to complete the shutout.

That kind of game matters in Triple-A because it is not just a win, it is command. Syracuse did not need a flurry of late heroics or a defensive escape act. It simply buried Lehigh Valley early, kept the lead clean and handed the bullpen a night that never felt urgent.

Game two asked for something different. Syracuse fell behind 3-2, then tied it in the bottom of the eighth before finally finishing the job in the ninth. Jihwan Bae doubled home Vidal Bruján for the first run, and Nick Morabito followed with a double that brought in A.J. Ewing for a 2-0 lead. Bae started the ninth at second, advanced on a bunt and scored on Ben Rortvedt’s walk-off single to center field.

That last hit gave the night its edge. Syracuse showed it could win with a starter locking down seven innings and a bullpen slamming the door, then showed it could also survive a tight, back-and-forth game and still land the final punch. In a league where a split can feel like a victory and a sweep can swing a homestand, the Mets left no room for doubt.

The two wins lifted Syracuse to 16-13 and underlined why this team has been such a tough out when both sides of the game show up. One box score showed dominance. The other showed poise. Together, they told the bigger story.