MOOSIC — The RailRiders' home opener seemed to be going well for eight innings. But then the ninth inning was a disaster, turning Opening Night into a nightmare.
The RailRiders lost control of the strike zone in the ninth inning, allowing six walks and giving up a three-run lead to ultimately lose 5-4 to the Syracuse Mets on Thursday night.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s relievers had pitched 3.2 scoreless innings before the ninth, giving up only two hits and striking out 10.
But Clayton Andrews couldn't find his command trying to protect a 4-1 lead, issuing two walks to start the inning before a Mark Vientos double cut the RailRiders' lead to 4-3.
Andrews left the game with the bases loaded and just one out, and Oddanier Mosqueda didn't have much better luck. He allowed the tying run to score on a wild pitch and walked two more times, one with the bases loaded, ultimately giving the Mets a 5-4 lead.
The RailRiders had no response in their half of the inning. Jordan Groshans flew out, Greg Allen struck out, and Caleb Durbin was tagged out attempting to stretch a bloop single into a double.
Andrews was charged with the loss, allowing four earned runs on six walks and one hit, and recording just one out.
For a long time, it seemed like the RailRiders' offense would be the highlight, with two solo home runs giving Scranton/Wilkes-Barre the lead in the fourth.
Everson Pereira broke a 1-1 tie at the beginning of the fourth inning by hitting a fly ball over the bullpens in left field. Three batters later, Jeter Downs hit one over the wall in left-center field, giving the RailRiders a 3-1 lead.
Pereira scored in the sixth inning on a Luis Torrens sacrifice fly. The team's first run came from Durbin, whose RBI single brought in Groshans.
Durbin finished the night with four hits, including a triple. Downs also had a triple to add to his solo homer.
The RailRiders will play against Syracuse in the second game of what has now become a five-game series on Friday night. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m. at PNC Field.
Tuesday’s game has been rescheduled for Saturday, creating a seven-inning doubleheader starting at 2:05 p.m. in Moosic. Wednesday's game has been pushed back to the Mets' next visit to town and will be part of another doubleheader on May 23.
