Syracuse's 1st inning hands Mud Hens loss

8/17/2012

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Duane Below was roughed up in his first start for Toledo on Thursday night in a 8-4 Syracuse win.

The recently optioned Below gave up three runs on eight hits in three innings of work, with all three runs coming in the first inning.

Below was bested by Chiefs lefty Zach Duke, who threw eight innings and gave up two runs and eight hits to earn his third straight victory.

Eury Perez led off the first inning with a single and came home to score on Corey Brown's triple to right-center field. Jarrett Hoffpauir hit a sacrifice fly to left field to drive home Brown and give the Chiefs a 2-0 lead. The next batter, Carlos Rivero, teed off on a Below pitch and hit it over the wall in right-center for his 10th homer of the season. The Chiefs pounded out five hits in the eighth, capped by run-scoring singles from Zach Walters, Jesus Valdez, and Perez, along with a two-run error committed by Mud Hens left fielder Jerad Head.

The Hens' Jose Ortega was roughed up, giving up five runs, three earned, in 1⅔ innings.

Duke needed just 89 pitches to get through eight scoreless innings on before running into a bit of trouble in the top of the ninth inning.

The Mud Hens produced a four-run surge, beginning with a two-run blast from John Lindsey. The Syracuse bullpen shut the door and held on.