The Syracuse Chiefs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, dropped their second straight game to the Columbus Clippers with a 9-6 loss on Saturday night. Syracuse clawed its way back from a 9-0 deficit with a five-run seventh inning and a rally in the ninth, but the Clippers hung on for the victory.
Although Syracuse (23-26) and Columbus (23-25) combined for 14 total runs, neither team scored until the fifth inning. But the Clippers then broke a scoreless game open against right-hander Yunesky Maya. Russ Canzler doubled, Andy LaRoche singled and Matt Pagnozzi walked to start the inning. Maya struck out Jason Donald on an inside-corner fastball for the first out, but center fielder Ezequiel Carrera laced a two-run double to right-center field, scoring Canzler and LaRoche for the game’s first two runs. Lonnie Chisenhall tacked on a sacrifice fly, upping the lead to 3-0, before Matt LaPorta was intentionally walked to bring up Jared Goedert. But Goedert would make the Chiefs pay by clubbing a three-run home run, putting Columbus ahead 6-0.
The Clippers tacked on some valuable insurance runs in the next two innings. Pagnozzi’s sixth-inning sacrifice fly scored Canzler for a 6-0 lead, with Maya exiting after five and two-thirds innings. In the seventh, Canzler’s run-scoring single and Pagnozzi’s bases-loaded walk each plated a run against right-hander Erik Arnesen.
But Syracuse launched an improbable late-game rally starting in the seventh. Jhonatan Solano’s infield single and Brett Carroll’s walk started the threat against Clippers starter Corey Kluber. Two batters later, Rivero ignited the inning with a two-run double. After a Josh Johnson single and Seth Bynum lineout, Jarrett Hoffpauir hit a pop-up to shallow center field for what looked to be the inning’s final out. However, Carrera dropped the ball for an error, with Rivero and Johnson scoring on the play to cut Columbus’ lead to 9-4. Dan Wheeler then came on in relief of Kluber, but Mark Teahen greeted the veteran right-hander rudely with a run-scoring single, capping the scoring in the inning.
In the ninth, the Chiefs loaded the bases with no outs against right-hander Cody Allen to bring the tying run to the plate. Johnson walked before Bynum and Hoffpauir lined back-to-back singles, bringing up the heart of the Syracuse order. But Allen settled down, retiring Teahen on a run-scoring groundout before Xavier Paul struck out and Solano popped out to end the game.
The Chiefs and Clippers will close out their four-game series on Sunday night at 6:30, with a fireworks show slated for after the game. Syracuse right-hander Tanner Roark and Columbus left-hander Drew Seddon are the scheduled starters.
**Courtesy Syracuse Chiefs**
