Syracuse Mets fall to Bisons, 9-4

Box Score

Syracuse, NY – Ronny Mauricio had three hits, including a home run, for the Syracuse Mets on Thursday night, but Syracuse lost to the Buffalo Bisons, 9-4, at NBT Bank Stadium. The Bisons have now won two of the first three games in the six-game series.

Buffalo (60-61, 26-20) jumped on top in the top of the first inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Tanner Morris worked a bases-loaded walk to give the Bisons a 1-0 lead. Then, Mason McCoy singled into left field, scoring one run to make it a 2-0 game, but Syracuse left fielder Carlos Cortes made a throw home that resulted in an out at home plate, preventing another Buffalo run from scoring.

The Bisons still added to their total in the second. With two outs, Rafael Lantigua homered over the wall in left-center field, extending the Buffalo advantage to 3-0. The home run was Lantigua’s 12th of the season and his 43rd extra-base hit of the year.

Buffalo continued its torrent scoring pace in the top of the third. Orelvis Martinez doubled, moved to third on a Morris single, and scored when McCoy grounded into a fielder’s choice. After three innings, the Bisons scored four runs and had seven hits.

Syracuse (50-70, 17-29) got its first run in the bottom of the third, courtesy of Mauricio. The 22-year-old lasered a ball over the right-field fence for a home run to make it a 4-1 ballgame. The ball was hit 115 mph off of Mauricio’s bat.

The Mets furthered the comeback efforts in the fourth. With Michael Perez at third base and Lorenzo Cedrola at first, Wyatt Young singled home Perez, trimming the deficit to 4-2. Then, Mauricio collected his third hit with an RBI single, scoring Cedrola and cutting the Buffalo lead to one, 4-3.

The Bisons were quick to respond in the top of the fifth. With one out, Martinez singled and moved to second on a wild pitch. Luis De Los Santos followed with a double that brought home Martinez for a 5-3 Buffalo edge. Two batters later, another McCoy single scored De Los Santos,…