Andrew Painter allowed just two runs in five innings for his first triple-A win and Justin Crawford smashed his first triple-A homer as the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (30-12) became the first team to 30 wins in all of baseball, extending their winning streak to seven in a 7-3 victory over the Syracuse Mets (18-24) on Thursday night at NBT Bank Stadium.

The only runs Painter allowed came in the last of the third as Joey Meneses hit a two-run homer, his second straight game going deep. Painter (1-0) went five innings for the first time since September 9, 2022, also the date of his last win. He allowed two runs on five hits and two walks, striking out three. Painter threw 71 pitches, 47 of which were for strikes.

Scoreless thru the first two innings, Buddy Kennedy broke the deadlock with a solo homer, his third of the season and second straight game with a dinger. After a walk and single, Cal Stevenson singled home Gabriel Rincones Jr. to make it 2-0. A Rodolfo Castro fielder’s choice then allowed Payton Henry to score, making it 3-0.

Crawford timed his first triple-A homer well, going yard in the fourth to give the ‘Pigs some breathing room, as the solo shot made it 4-2.

Both pitching staffs settled in and the scoreline didn’t change again until the ninth. With two outs, Kennedy singled and Rincones Jr. was hit by a pitch. Henry then clubbed a three-run homer to rightfield, his third of the season, ballooning the lead to 7-2.

The Mets got a run with two outs in the ninth on a Yonny Hernández RBI single, but it was little more than consolation as the ‘Pigs captured their seventh consecutive win

Nolan McLean (0-1) took the loss for the Mets, allowing four runs in five innings on five hits and six walks, striking out four.