Jett Williams, Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

Triple-A

Syracuse Mets (11-10) vs. Toledo Mud Hens (14-6) – Postponed

The Syracuse Mets game against the Toledo Mud Hens was postponed last night due to inclement weather. They will play a doubleheader today, with game one beginning at 11:05 am ET and game two starting 30 minutes after the first game concludes—starters for the matchups are to be determined.

Double-A

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (7-8) 7, Akron RubberDucks (8-8) 5

Box Score 

With an early morning game time of 11:05 AM, the Rumble Ponies’ offense was slow from the outset, but got going in the middle innings on Wednesday, going 4-8 with runners in scoring position and totaling seven runs in the fourth-sixth innings.

Their first threat of the game came in the bottom third when leadoff hitter Wyatt Young notched a one-out single. Matt Rudick proceeded to walk (He drew three walks in the contest, and has 11 on the year.) First baseman JT Schwartz came up to the plate in a notable spot and grounded into a double play. Schwartz ended the day 0-fo-4 and was plunked by a pitch.

In the bottom of the fourth, shortstop José Peroza put the Ponies on the scoreboard driving in McIlwain on a single to tie the game at 1-1. Peroza has reached base in all five games he’s played for the Rumble Ponies.

The Ponies’ bats finally woke up and broke the game open in the fifth and sixth against RubberDucks reliever Shane McCarthy. Catcher Matt O’Neill led off the fifth inning, recording his first hit of the year, a solo blast over the left-center field wall at Mirabito Stadium. Eleven batters came up to bat in the sixth and scored five runs on four hits and three walks. Brandon McIlwain, the former multi-sport athlete in college, notched a pair of walks in the inning. Second baseman Young delivered the final run with an RBI knock to extend the lead to 7-2. The 23-year-old infielder recorded his third multi-hit game since last week and finished the day 2-for-5.  He is 7-for-21, with three doubles, four walks, and four runs batted in his previous five games.

The 22-year-old Luis Moreno gutted out six innings and limited the RubberDucks to one run, earning his second consecutive win. He tossed 86 pitches, scattering four hits, issuing four walks, and registering three punchouts. After clean first and second innings, Moreno danced in and out of trouble from the third through the sixth. He received some good fortune when the RubberDucks lined into a pair of double plays with multiple baserunners on the base paths. Moreno improved to 2-0 on the season with the win. The one hiccup early on  this season is his command, issuing 13 walks in 16.1 innings.

Relief pitchers Dylan Hall and Nathan Lavender pitched the final two frames and preserve the 7-5 win for the Ponies. The duo would punchout out four RubberDucks in total. The 23-year-old southpaw Lavender recorded his fourth save of the season and has 12 strikeouts across 7.1 innings.

High-A

Jersey Shore BlueClaws (7-8) 7, Brooklyn Cyclones (5-10), 4

Box Score

The Brooklyn Cyclones’ bats would go down quietly on Wednesday as Jersey Shore pitchers permitted just four baserunners during the final six innings of the contest and took a 7-4 win in the series’ opener.

In the top half of the third, down 3-0, the Cyclones got on the scoreboard when Kevin Parada reached on a base hit, and Alex Ramírez advanced on an error. Outfielder Stanley Consuegra promptly dispatched the first pitch from the southpaw Matt Osterberg over the left field wall for a three-run homer to tie the game at 3-3. The talented power-hitting outfielder is now up to four homers and nine extra-base hits across 14 games.

Returning from the injured list and making his season debut, shortstop William Lugo manufactured a run by walking, stealing a base, advancing to third on a passed ball, and scoring on a sac fly from second baseman Justin Guerrera to give Brooklyn the 4-3 lead.

Parada registered two of the Cyclones’ six hits, going 2-for-4 and scoring a run.

The 20-year-old Ramirez laced a single in the eighth to extend his hit streak to ten games. During that span, he is 14-42 with six runs scored, three extra-base hits, nine RBIs, and a pair of stolen bases.

  • RHP Blade Tidwell 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 6 K, 5.56 ERA
  • RHP Jace Beck (L, 0-1) 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 2 K, 3.86 ERA

Pitching for the first time since his two-inning scoreless outing nine days ago, Blade Tidwell struggled out the gate. Tidwell permitted three runs on six hits and two walks through the first two innings, with his fastball around 94-96 mph. He managed to finish strong in the final three frames, allowing only three base runners, which were erased immediately by Parada’s help, who threw out three would-be base runners. The six-foot-four right-hander tossed a season-high five innings on 92 pitchers and struck out six BlueClaws. He will carry an inflated ERA of 5.56 into his next matchup.

 

The bullpen trio of Jace Beck, Jeffrey Colón, and lefty Harris Brodey couldn’t protect the 4-3 lead. They coughed up four runs on five hits and six walks in the final three frames.

Low-A

Clearwater Threshers (10-6) 8, St. Lucie Mets (5-11), 5

Box Score

The Mets took an early lead of 2-0, collecting three consecutive hits with two outs. Fernando Villalobos reached on a single, then, 21-year old outfielder Blaine McIntosh ripped an RBI triple. Leadoff hitter Rhylan Thomas followed by smacking a line drive single to bring in McIntosh.

Williams had a terrific night at the plate, reaching base four times. With the Mets down 8-3 in the seventh, he recorded his third hit of the game, belting an RBI double (102.6 mph off the bat). The highly touted prospect also swiped a pair of bases, bringing his total to five on the year. Williams has reached base safely in 14 of 15 contests to begin the year. His season OPS is up to .857.

The 19-year-old third baseman, Jacob Reimer, also recorded a multi-hit game and knocked in Williams in the seventh for his eighth RBI of the year to cut the deficit to 8-5.

The Threshers’ pen held the Mets in check the final two frames however, as only one baserunner would only reach.

The 20-year-old hurler Douglas Orellana surrendered his first runs of the season, allowing three runs (two earned) across four innings on 74 pitches. He ran into trouble in the third inning when he committed an error and a wild pitch that led to two runs. He also served up a 416-foot lead-off homer to third baseman Otto Kemp in the fourth. Orellana mixed in all four of his pitches and threw the four-seamer 58% of the time, topping out at 95.6 mph. He punched out four Threshers and generated 11 whiffs for 29% on the night.

Lefty reliever Brian Gursky entered the contest in the fifth tied at three all and was in trouble immediately. He was done in by issuing a hit, two walks, and a throwing error and permitted three runs before recording his first out. In the following inning, a throwing error by Reimer extended the inning, and the Threshers would score two additional runs against the southpaw.