CINCINNATI (Interstat) — Eugenio Suarez launched a three-run homer on an 0-2 pitch in the sixth inning, erasing a two-run deficit and propelling the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday at Great American Ball Park.

The win secured a series victory for the Reds, who took two of three games in the season-opening set before an afternoon crowd of 27,084. The game time was 2 hours, 43 minutes.

For much of the contest, the narrative was one of missed opportunities and strong starting pitching. Boston’s Connelly Early and Cincinnati’s Rhett Lowder, the top star for the Reds according to team officials, engaged in a duel. Early allowed just one run on five hits over 5 1/3 innings, striking out six. Lowder, making his first start of the season, surrendered two runs on three hits across five frames, fanning five.

The Red Sox broke through in the fourth inning against Lowder. Willson Contreras led off with a single before Wilyer Abreu connected on a two-run homer to right-center field, giving Boston a 2-0 lead. The Reds, meanwhile, squandered early chances, grounding into inning-ending double plays in both the second and fourth to stifle potential rallies.

The game’s decisive moment arrived in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Matt McLain singled and, after a strikeout, Sal Stewart worked a walk. Boston manager Alex Cora turned to reliever Greg Weissert to face Suarez. The veteran third baseman, playing in his first home series since rejoining the Reds in the offseason, fell behind 0-2 before driving Weissert’s next offering over the wall in left-center for a 3-2 Cincinnati lead.

The homer was Suarez’s 190th in a Reds uniform, moving him one shy of Brandon Phillips for 12th on the franchise’s all-time list.

Boston threatened repeatedly but could not muster the equalizer. They put two runners on with one out in the eighth against reliever Brock Burke, but Caleb Durbin struck out swinging. In the ninth, Andruw Monasterio doubled with one out against Cincinnati closer Emilio Pagán. After a lineout, Pagán intentionally walked Roman Anthony to bring Trevor Story to the plate. Story ended the game by flying out to deep center field, sealing the comeback win for the home side.

The Reds’ bullpen was instrumental in preserving the narrow lead. Following Burke, who earned the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings, Tony Santillan and Pierce Johnson combined for 1 2/3 hitless frames before Pagán locked down his first save of the season despite allowing two baserunners in the ninth.

Boston’s Jovani Morán provided two scoreless innings of relief, but the Red Sox offense managed just seven hits total, with Abreu’s three-hit, two-RBI day accounting for the bulk of their production. Cincinnati also finished with seven hits, with Stewart’s perfect 2-for-2 day with two walks and a double pacing the lineup.

The loss dropped Boston to 1-2 on the young season, while Cincinnati improved to 2-1. The result defied pregame projections from Interstat, which had given Boston a 53% probability to win and projected a low-scoring 1-0 Red Sox victory. The combined five total runs went well under the posted over/under line of 8.5.

The most important sequence of the game was undoubtedly the bottom of the sixth inning. After being held in check for five innings and wasting several scoring chances, the Reds’ rally against Weissert transformed the game. McLain’s single provided a spark, Stewart’s disciplined walk extended the inning and set the table, and Suarez’s authoritative two-strike swing provided the sudden, game-altering blow that defined the contest.

Boston now travels to Houston to begin a three-game series with the Astros on Monday. Cincinnati will remain at home to open a three-game set against the Pittsburgh Pirates, also on Monday.