The Syracuse Mets held on for a 9-8 victory over the Worcester Red Sox in the series opener on Tuesday night at NBT Bank Stadium.
Syracuse led 9-2 after six innings, but Worcester came storming back before falling short, despite bringing the tying and go-ahead run to the plate in the top of the ninth.
Francisco Alvarez and Daniel Palka homered and collected three RBIs for the Mets, while Mark Vientos also went deep and notched two RBIs. Dominic Smith plated the other run.
Syracuse starter Josh Hejka allowed a pair of runs over 3 1/3 innings. Adonis Medina, R.J. Alvarez, and Michael Otanez combined to allow six runs in relief.
The second game of this week-long series is set for Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. Veteran left-hander Mike Montgomery will start for the Mets.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].