Syracuse Mets Recap: Thornton Has Sharp Debut but Mets Fall to the Red Wings on Saturday Afternoon

Thornton and Champlain Battle but Quiet Mets Offense Early in the Game Proves Costly

By Syracuse Mets

May 9, 2026

Syracuse, NY – Zach Thornton threw six solid innings in his Triple-A debut, but the Syracuse Mets fell to the Rochester Red Wings, 7-4, on Saturday afternoon at NBT Bank Stadium. Rochester (19-19) struck first in the opening inning. Christian Franklin doubled and later scored on a Dylan Crews RBI

Syracuse, NY – Zach Thornton threw six solid innings in his Triple-A debut, but the Syracuse Mets fell to the Rochester Red Wings, 7-4, on Saturday afternoon at NBT Bank Stadium.

Rochester (19-19) struck first in the opening inning. Christian Franklin doubled and later scored on a Dylan Crews RBI double, giving the Red Wings a 1-0 lead.

The Red Wings added on in the third. After a walk by Crews, Yohandy Morales launched a two-run home run to right field, extending Rochester’s advantage to 3-0.

Syracuse (20-17) got on the board in the fifth inning. Cristian Pache was hit by a pitch and later scored when Yonny Hernández lined an RBI single to center field, trimming the deficit to 3-1.

The Mets pulled closer in the sixth when Jackson Cluff crushed a solo home run to right field, making it a 3-2 game. Cluff's solo home run snapped an 0-for-32 stretch at the plate.

Rochester answered immediately in the seventh. Trey Lipscomb and Harry Ford each hit solo home runs, stretching the Red Wings lead to 5-2.

Syracuse chipped away again in the bottom of the seventh. Pache doubled and came home on another RBI single by Hernández, cutting the deficit to 5-3.

The Red Wings added insurance in the ninth. After a pair of runners reached, Christian Franklin brought home two runs on a fielder’s choice and throwing error, extending the lead to 7-3.

Christian Arroyo hit a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to make it 7-4, but the Mets could not rally further.

On the mound, Thornton started for Syracuse and allowed three runs over six innings while striking out four batters. Ryan Lambert surrendered two solo home runs in the seventh, Nate Lavender tossed a scoreless eighth, and Jonathan Pintaro allowed two runs in the ninth.

Syracuse continues its series with Rochester on Sunday afternoon. Right-hander Xzavion Curry is slated to start for the Mets opposite right-hander Riley Cornelio for the Red Wings. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.