RedWings Hold Off Late Mets Rally, Wings Home Opener 6-5

By Christopher Drummond

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Red Wings held off a late rally from the Syracuse Mets to earn a 6-5 victory in their home opener Tuesday night, securing their seventh win in the last 11 games.

Rochester used a five-run second inning to seize control early and never surrendered the lead, despite Syracuse making things interesting in the later innings.

After opening the scoring on a sacrifice fly in the first inning, the Red Wings exploded offensively in the second. Trey Lipscomb, Cayden Wallace, Riley Adams and Joey Wiemer each delivered consecutive singles before Christian Franklin drove a ball off the center-field wall for a two-run double. By the end of the inning, Rochester had built a commanding 5-1 advantage.

The Mets, however, slowly chipped away at the deficit.

Nick Morabito launched his 10th home run of the season to help trim Rochester's lead to 5-3. While the Red Wings' offense cooled for much of the remainder of the game, they manufactured a crucial insurance run when Cayden Wallace drew a bases-loaded walk, extending the lead to 6-3. That run ultimately proved to be the difference.

Syracuse responded in the late innings as Ronny Mauricio blasted a two-run home run — his 12th of the season — to pull the Mets within one at 6-5.

The Mets had multiple opportunities to either tie the game or take the lead but were unable to capitalize, leaving nine runners on base as Rochester's bullpen came through with several key outs to preserve the victory.

Despite being shorthanded, the Red Wings continue to find ways to win. Rochester is currently without Yohandy Morales and Seaver King, both of whom are on the injured list, and recently lost Brady House following his promotion. Even so, the club has continued to battle through adversity.

Following the win, Red Wings manager Matthew LeCroy praised his team's early offensive approach and resilience while acknowledging the challenges of managing a roster that is constantly evolving.

"We did a great job of getting out to a lead," LeCroy said. "We did some really good things, gave up some things, but our bullpen was able to hold on for us. We played well Sunday and carried it over to tonight's game. We stayed on the ball, were able to draw walks in that big second inning, and that's something we talked about before the game. We have a quick turnaround, and we hope to keep this thing going."