EL1 Binghamton Rumble Ponies

B-Mets Let Home Opener Slip Away

Published on April 14, 2011 under Eastern League (EL1)
Binghamton Rumble Ponies News Release


BINGHAMTON, NY - The Binghamton Mets opened their 2011 home schedule on a sour note by giving up two runs in the ninth inning in a 3-2 loss to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at NYSEG Stadium tonight. Trailing by one in the ninth, Fisher Cats leftfielder John Tolisano roped a two-out double to deep centerfield off B-Mets reliever Ricky Brooks to plate a pair of runs and give the visiting team the lead for good.

Brooks inability to nail down the save squandered a fine performance for starter Mark Cohoon. The Texan left-hander made his second start of the year and tossed seven innings, the longest outing for any B-Mets starter this season.

Cohoon set the tone early, setting the Fisher Cats down in order in the first inning. He did not allow a hit until the fourth, when New Hampshire first baseman Mike McDade roped a single underneath the outstretched glove of Eric Campbell down at the hot corner. The defense bailed Cohoon out as leftfielder Brahiam Maldonado gunned down McDade at second base to end the inning as he tried to stretch the hit into a double.

After four innings of scoreless baseball, the B-Mets drew first blood against starter B.J. LaMura in the fifth. Following a leadoff walk to Raul Reyes, Brahiam Maldonado contributed with a productive out by grounding out to advance Reyes to second. Mike Fisher, filling in at first base for the injured Allan Dykstra, came through with a double that barely stayed inside the first base bag as it shot to the right field corner. Reyes was easily able to score from second base with the game's first run.

Trailing by one, the Fisher Cats had a quick rebuttal in the sixth. With two outs in the frame, Adeiny Hechavarria reached on a hard-hit single to left field. While trying to keep the Blue Jays prospect close to the bag, Cohoon's pickoff throw evaded the glove of Fisher and skipped down the right field line. Hechevarria scampered to third base and came home to score four pitches later as Anthony Gose rocketed a single back up the middle to tie the game at one.

In the seventh, Raul Reyes jump-started the offense again by singling off reliever Evan Crawford to leadoff the stanza. Brahiam Maldonado followed, failed to get a bunt down, and struckout looking on three pitches. The outfielder then became the first B-Met to get ejected this year when he was tossed for arguing with home plate umpire Jon Saphire.

Reyes took matters into his own hands and stole second base, the second steal of the game for Binghamton. Mike Fisher's single to right field following a ten-pitch at bat moved Reyes to third and also chased Crawford from the game.

Hard-throwing righty Matt Daly entered and promptly uncorked a wild pitch that squirted between catcher Travis d'Arnaud's legs and rolled to the backstop. Reyes was able to dash home with the go-ahead run.

With Cohoon in line for the win, manager Wally Backman made the call to the bullpen, summoning Ricky Brooks to pitch the eighth. Brooks worked around a single by Jonathan Diaz and a walk to Anthony Gose to escape with the lead intact.

Three outs away from his first save, things started out shaky for Brooks in the ninth. McDade led off with a hard-hit single to left field. After a balk put McDade in scoring position, New Hampshire manager Sal Fasano called on Ricardo Nanita to pinch run.

Brooks induced Adam Calderone to fly out to left, but walked Craig Stansberry to put the go-ahead run aboard. After Matt Sobolewski flew out for the second out, Brooks fell behind John Tolisano in 2-0 count.

Tolisano, playing in his first season as a full-time outfielder, rocketed the next pitch he saw over the head of Jesus Feliciano in deep centerfield for the two-run double.

Alan Farina pitched the ninth and worked around a one-out double from Mike Fisher to nail down his second save of the year.

The B-Mets (2-5) will be back in action tomorrow night against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (4-4) for the second game of a four-game series. RHP Brad Holt (0-0, 0.00) will start for the B-Mets with first pitch scheduled for 7:05pm.

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Eastern League Stories from April 14, 2011


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