The Rochester Red Wings battled through the rain and came out on top, edging the Syracuse Mets 3-2 in a six-inning, weather-shortened contest Tuesday at NBT Bank Stadium. The win pushed Rochester back to the .500 mark at 17-17, while Syracuse slipped to 18-15 in this early-season matchup.
Syracuse struck first in the opening frame, as Nick Morabito singled, swiped second base, and came home on a Ryan Clifford base hit. But the Red Wings showed their resilience in the fourth inning, rallying for all three of their runs with two outs. Harry Ford worked a walk, Yohandy Morales was plunked by a pitch, and Andrs Chaparro tied the game with an RBI single. Morales then scored on a wild pitch before Robert Hassell III added an RBI single to give Rochester a 3-1 lead.
The Mets trimmed the deficit to 3-2 in the sixth. Morabito singled but was thrown out trying to stretch it to a double. Clifford followed with a double of his own and later scored on a Cristian Pache single, but that was as close as Syracuse would get.
On the mound, Shawn Dubin started for Rochester, allowing just one run on two hits over one inning with two strikeouts and a walk. Riley Cornelio took over and delivered a stellar relief performance, tossing 4⅔ innings of one-run ball, scattering three hits and two walks while fanning five to earn the win. Zach Penrod slammed the door, recording the final out of the sixth with two runners on base to notch his first save of the season.
Offensively, the Red Wings managed only four hits but made them count, going 2-for-3 with runners in scoring position. Morales reached base twice with a single and a run scored, while Chaparro finished 1-for-3 with an RBI. Hassell went 1-for-2 with an RBI and his third stolen base of the year. Ford scored a run and drew one of Rochester's two walks, and Phillip Glasser added a soft infield single before being caught stealing by Ben Rortvedt.
Syracuse starter Jack Weisenburger took the loss, charged with all three runs. Joey Gerber and Luke Jackson combined for scoreless relief after the fourth.
The game began after a 31-minute rain delay and was played under cloudy skies with a steady right-to-left wind. It was called after six innings with a time of 2:25 and an announced attendance of 1,893. The two teams are set to continue their series Wednesday at NBT Bank Stadium—so stay tuned for more action, and gear up for the season with the latest Red Wings apparel!