Beat The Mets: Scranton Grinds Out A Hard Fought Series Win Against Syracuse

Game 1: Edgar Barclay (0-0, 12.00 ERA) vs. Mike Vasil (1-1, 7.04)

The second series of the home-stand got underway on Tuesday night and was not the start that the RailRiders wanted. The struggling Syracuse Mets came to town, and Edgar Barclay got his second start of the year. Barclay pitched a lot better in this one and gave Scranton some length, putting in 5 innings of work. The only real hiccup by Barclay in this one was a long ball to Ronnie Mauricio in the top of the 4th inning. Barclay did give up another run in the 5th; however, a passed ball by Carlos Narvaez earlier in the inning led to that being an unearned run. 

The Syracuse lead was extended to 3-0 in the 6th when Joe Suozzi ripped an RBI single off Zac Houston. Once the Mets were retired in the 6th, the fans looked up at the scoreboard and noticed that the RailRiders had not recorded a hit yet. Syracuse started Mike Vasil, who was throwing a no hitter and as each inning passed. You could sense that the RailRiders may be on the wrong end of something special. 

The score remained the same going into the bottom of the 9th. Scranton had one last chance to break into the hit column against Vasil. On the second pitch of the inning, Brandon Lockridge poked a ground ball through the infield and finally Scranton was able to push across a hit. Vasil was lifted to the happiness of the RailRiders. However, Sam Coonrod came in and shut down the next 3 batters to end a poor offensive night for Scranton.

Final: 3-0 Syracuse (Syracuse leads series 1-0)

Game 2: Will Warren (4-4, 5.52 ERA) vs. David Griffin (1-4, 8.31 ERA)

A cool and chilly Wednesday was the scene in Scranton as the RailRiders looked to bounce back from getting 1 hit the day before. Will Warren took the ball and, after just 3 pitches, had runners on 1st and 2nd and nobody out. As he has done all year with Scranton, Warren was able to grind out of it, only allowing 1 run in the inning. 

Scranton was able to get that run right back in the bottom of the 1st when Franchy Cordero ripped an RBI single driving in Oswald Peraza. Warren settled down after the 1st was able to get through the 2nd and 3rd unscathed. Michael Perez led off the 4th inning with a solo shot, however, and shaky defense allowed another run to score off Warren. Everson Pereira did save another run from coming in making a leaping grab at the wall.

It's a bird … it's a plane … it's Everson Pereira! 🦾

The @Yankees No. 4 prospect makes a wall-crashing grab in right. #EverythingMajor #RepBX #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/0kxe5lKKmq

— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) August 9, 2023

After Syracuse tacked on another run in the top of the 5th, the Scranton offense put together a little 2 out rally. Peraza walked; Wells then doubled and Pereira followed with a walk to load the bases for Andres Chaparro. Chaparro would work the count full but would ultimately ground out to short ending the inning and onto the 6th we went. 

Aaron McGarity came on to relieve Warren, who finished the night with 5IP, 7H, 4R, 3ER, 2BB and 5K. McGarity was followed by Zach McCallister, and both went on to hold the deficit to just 3 runs going into the bottom of the 7th.

The bottom of the 7th was…a fun one, to say the least. Jake Lamb walked, Lockridge singled and Peraza worked a walk to load the bases with nobody out for Austin Wells. Wells blooped a ball to left field that dunked in to scored 2 runs and cut the deficit to 4-3.

Everson Pereira followed with a 2-run single of his own and the RailRiders jumped out to a 5-4 lead. Then, things started to get interesting. Reliever Sam Coonrod was lifted for Jeff Brigham. On his way to the mound, Brigham was stopped by the umpires in left field, they would check his hands and immediately throw him out for sticky stuff. This was the third (yes, THIRD) time a Syracuse pitcher was thrown out for sticky stuff. 

WOW! @SyracuseMets reliever Jeff Brigham was just tossed before even throwing a pitch!

He was checked for sticky stuff while on his way in from the bullpen. The umps all came together and threw him out! #MiLB #EverythingMajor#RepBx

— Bobby Santoro (@bsantoro112) August 10, 2023

Scranton continued to score in 8th inning with familiar faces. With 2 outs, Oswald Peraza walked the 4th time in the game, Austin Wells followed that up with a single to right bringing up Everson Pereira with runners at the corners. Pereira rocketed a ball deep to right center field for a 3 run home run to extend Scranton lead to 9-4. Greg Weissert locked down the 5 out save for his 8th of the year, and Scranton shut the door on Syracuse in game 2. 

GONE TO THE LAWN! 💣

No. 4 @Yankees prospect Everson Pereira tacks on an opposite field, three-run homer to right. #EverythingMajor #RepBX pic.twitter.com/vCu3hI61kR

— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) August 10, 2023

Final: 9-5 Scranton (Series tied 1-1)

Game 3: Clayton Beeter (1-2, 5.90 ERA) vs. Jose Butto (2-6, 6.42 ERA)

After a thrilling win the night before, the RailRiders returned to the diamond Thursday night to try and take the series lead against Syracuse. Clayton Beeter looked to build off a successful outing last week against a struggling Mets team. 

It was not a night to remember for Clayton, who started the night with a walk to Tim Locastro on a pitch clock violation. After that, Beeter just looked flat out uncomfortable on the mound and struggled with his command most of the night. He was able to escape a long top of the first where he threw a whopping 33 pitches. The second inning was not much different, as he once again threw plenty of pitches but still was able to escape with no runs crossing the plate.

Things started to unravel in the third inning for Beeter, after allowing a lead off single to Ronny Mauricio, he surrendered back-to-back long balls to Brett Baty and Luke Ritter. Beeter was then lifted from the game after getting the next 2 outs. On came Michael Gomez, who allowed two runs of his own and through 5 innings, The RailRiders trailed 5-0. 

Clayton Beeter's day is done with 2 outs in the 3rd inning. Michael Gomez in now as rain falls on PNC field.

Beeter's final line 2.2IP, 4H, 3ER, 3BB, 5K and he threw 73 pitches

— Bobby Santoro (@bsantoro112) August 10, 2023

As for the offense, well, it was non-existent for the entire game for the most part. Austin Wells did go 1-for-3 with a double but was lifted in the 6th inning. No, Wells wasn’t hurt; the Scranton pitching allowed the Mets to load the bases without any hits. Three walks loaded the bases and Carlos Cortes made Scranton pay by launching an absolute rocket over the Budweiser Railhouse in right field. The game was all but over after that. The only lone bright spot of the night was with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th, Jamie Westbrook was able to bang a solo shot off the foul pole to break the shutout. Note to self: Thirsty Thursdays in Scranton can get rowdy! 

Final: 10-1 Syracuse (Syracuse leads series 2-1)

Game 4: Mitch Spence (8-6, 5.00 ERA) vs. Dennis Santana (5-3, 4.94 ERA)

A night after yet another abysmal offensive performance, the RailRiders looked to tie the series up once more with Mitch Spence on the mound. Spence has made the most starts out of any pitcher in the organization and has also been stellar at home. This year 7 of his 8 wins have come at PNC field, so the RailRiders had the right man on the mound to try and get them back into the series.

What took them almost 9 innings to do the night before, the RailRiders were able to do right away as Franchy Cordero led off the bottom of the 1st inning with a solo shot and immediately put Scranton on the board. Déjà vu ensued for Syracuse in the bottom of the third when Cordero hit another solo shot, this time to right field. His second-straight at bat going yard extended the lead for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Cowboy Cordero Crush 🤠

Franchy Cordero goes yard in back-to-back at bats with a ball planted into the Railhouse Bar in right field. #EverythingMajor #RepBX pic.twitter.com/2GUaL8tv59

— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) August 11, 2023

Brett Baty got Syracuse on the board in the top of the 4th, however, taking Mitch Spence deep. Baty has been a nightmare all year for Scranton, going deep 5 times in just 6 games played against the RailRiders. Ronny Mauricio then went deep in the top of the 6th and Syracuse had tied the game at 2.

The two long balls were the only hiccups for Spence on the night. Spence finished his night going 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB and 8 K, leaving the game tied at 2. Spencer Howard came on in relief, and his struggles as a member of the RailRiders continued. After getting Joe Suozzi to strike out, Howard drilled a batter and allowed a hard hit single that brought up Mauricio. Ronny demolished a ball deep into the Scranton night to give the Mets a 5-2 lead. 

The RailRiders would fight back in the 8th after Andres Chaparro and Carlos Narvaez both singled, Jake Lamb belted an RBI double to center to cut the deficit to 2 runs. Michael Hermosillo followed with an RBI single of his own and Scranton was now only trailing 5-4. A wild pitch would score Jake Lamb to tie the game once more and into extra innings we went.

It's Franchy's Friday night‼️

Franchy Cordero comes up clutch to tie the game in Bottom 10 with a two-run single. #EverythingMajor #RepBX pic.twitter.com/6mRIB3u9kd

— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) August 12, 2023

After Matt Bowman was able to keep the Mets at bay before extras, Aaron McGarity was called upon in the 10th. With a ghost runner starting on 2nd, McGarity allowed a 1 out double to Ceasar Berbesi and a 2 out single to Scranton killer Brett Baty and Syracuse took a 7-5 lead into the bottom of the 10th.

With Michael Hermosillo acting as the ghost runner on 2nd, a walk to Wilmer Difo and a wild pitch had runners on 2nd and 3rd for Franchy Cordero. Franchy’s great night continued as he ripped a game tying 2 run single to right and advanced to 2nd on the throw. A wild pitch advanced him to 3rd and that set the stage for none other than Everson Pereira. Pereira belted a high fly ball to the wall in left as the Scranton faithful rose to their seats. 

The ball settled into left fielder Carlos Cortes’ glove, but there was nothing he could do, Franchy trotted home and Everson Pereira delivered a walk-off sac-fly to win the game! Pereria ended the night 2-for-3 with 2 walks and an RBI, increasing his Triple-A batting average to .333 which leads the team.

EVERSON PEREIRA WALK OFF!!! A sac-fly wins it for the @swbrailriders

Scranton wins 8-7 in 10 innings#RepBX #EverythingMajor

— Bobby Santoro (@bsantoro112) August 12, 2023

Final: 8-7 Scranton (Series Tied 2-2)

Game 5: Anthony Misiewicz (2-1, 4.50 ERA) vs. Justin Jarvis (0-2, 10.43 ERA)

Saturday night was “Office Olympics” night in Scranton and Kate Flannery (aka Meredith from “The Office”) was on hand to throw out the first pitch. Anthony Misiewicz would be the opener in this one as Scranton, with their rotation shorthanded due to the Yankees needing pitching. 

A familiar face got the scoring started for Scranton in the bottom of the 3rd inning. Franchy Cordero squared up a fastball and drove it over the center field wall to give the RailRiders an early 1-0 lead.

Franchy Cordero does it again! A solo shot in the bottom of the 3rd to put @swbrailriders up 1-0

That's his 3rd in the last 2 games! #RepBX #EverythingMajor

— Bobby Santoro (@bsantoro112) August 12, 2023

Misiewicz pitched well, going 2 innings not allowing a hit and striking out a batter. Zac Houston came on in relief and after a scoreless 3rd, let up a game tying RBI double to Jose Peraza. The RailRiders were able to get that run right back in the bottom of the 4th and then some. Oswald Peraza led off the frame with a single and Austin Wells drilled a go ahead RBI double to right center. Wells would score later in the inning on a wild pitch to extend the Scranton lead to 3-1. 

Well, well, Wells … how the turn tables …#EverythingMajor #RepBX #TheOffice pic.twitter.com/sF0uX63kRc

— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) August 12, 2023

Syracuse would cut the lead to one in the 5th inning when Ronny Mauricio double to set up runners at 2nd and 3rd with 1 out against Scranton’s third pitcher Josh Maciejewski. Brett Baty grounded into a fielder’s choice and the RailRiders’ lead was 3-2. 

Michael Hermosillo would tack on the insurance run Scranton needed when he ripped an RBI double, scoring Jake Lamb and extending the lead 4-2. Zach McCallister, Ron Marinaccio and Greg Weissert all held the lead until the skies opened up with 1 out in the 9th. The game would eventually be ruled final and stopped due to the weather. 

Final: 4-2 Scranton (Scranton leads series 3-2)

Game 6: Edgar Barclay (0-1, 5.63 ERA) vs. Mike Vasil (2-1, 5.59 ERA)

A rematch of Game 1 was on hand for the series finale as Edgar Barclay took the ball against Mike Vasil. Vasil was coming off a dominant performance against the RailRiders, throwing 8 no-hit innings in Game 1.

After a 1st inning that saw Barclay strike out the side, the Mets were able to get to him in the top of the 2nd. After allowing a lead off single and a walk, Barclay was able to strike out Thomas Nido bringing up Brandon Mcllwain. Mcllwain would rip and RBI double down the line to put Syracuse up 1-0. The Mets were able to get another run on a solo shot to lead off the top of the 4th and it was now a 2-0 Syracuse lead.

Vasil did more of the same to start off the game against the Railriders, retiring the first 11 batters that he faced.

Syracuse starter Mike Vasil has faced 9 batters today and has retired them all.

Dating back to the first game of the series he has now allowed only 1 hit in 11 innings pitched against the @swbrailriders

(Yes I'm trying to jynx it 👀)

— Bobby Santoro (@bsantoro112) August 13, 2023

Oswald Peraza finally broke through with a 2 out single to put the perfect game to bed. Franchy Cordero then followed with a double and after a walk to Carlos Narvaez, the RailRiders were threatening with the bases loaded. Jake Lamb dug in and took a swing at the first pitch and flew out lazily to left field stopping the Scranton threat. 

Michael Gomez would then come in for the RailRiders with 2 outs in the 5th. Gomez went 1 inning allowing 2 hits but holding Syracuse at 2 runs. After a scoreless 5th, Scranton had runners on first and second with 2 outs in the bottom of the 6th. Up stepped Jake Lamb again with a chance to do some damage. Lamb launched a deep drive to left field that just squeaked inside the foul pole for a 3 run home run to put Scranton up 3-2 and chase Mike Vasil from the game. 

LAMB SLAM!💣

Jake Lamb pokes the first homer of his SWB career into the RailRiders bullpen, just inside the foul pole.#EverythingMajor #RepBX pic.twitter.com/BcqRzWocUx

— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) August 13, 2023

Scranton would add 3 more runs in the bottom of the 8th inning when Jamie Westbrook launched at 3 run bomb to left. That was a nail in the coffin, as the Scranton bullpen of Zach Greene, Aaron McGarity, and Nick Ramirez shut down the Syracuse bats to end the game and the series. 

Final: 6-2 Scranton (Scranton Wins Series 4-2)

A series that started out with nearly being no-hit turned into a positive come Sunday. The RailRiders were able to take 4-of-6 from Syracuse and even move up a spot in the standings.

Scranton will have 2 very crucial series coming up for them. First, a 6-game road trip to Worcester against the 2nd place WooSox. The RailRiders will then return home to play the 1st place Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Sitting only 3.5 games back of the IronPigs, there is still plenty of time for Scranton to make a late run.