EL1 Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Bullpen Lifts B-Mets to 4-3 Win, 7th Straight Series

Published on July 8, 2010 under Eastern League (EL1)
Binghamton Rumble Ponies News Release


Four relievers combined to hold the Altoona Curve scoreless over the final 3 2/3 innings to hold a slim one-run lead for starter Josh Stinson, sending Binghamton past Altoona 4-3 at Blair County Ballpark Thursday. The B-Mets took the final three games of the series from the Curve to notch their seventh consecutive series victory.

Binghamton (47-40) pounced on Altoona starter Bryan Morris for three runs in the first inning. With one out, Jon Malo laced a single to left to start the rally. Sean Ratliff followed with a ground-rule double to left-center, putting both men in scoring position. Marshall Hubbard chased the first run home with an RBI groundout to second. After Morris hit Josh Satin with a pitch, D.J. Wabick chopped a single off the glove of Miles Durham at first, plating Ratliff. Mike Nickeas capped the frame with a run-scoring single through the right side, pitting the B-Mets a 3-0 lead.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis extended his hitting streak to six games in the second with an opposite-field blast to left, his 13th homer of the season, advancing the lead to four.

Altoona (53-33) responded immediately in the bottom of the stanza. Jordy Mercer led off with a double to right, Brandon Jones moved him to third with a groundout to first and Durham chased the runner home with a single, getting the Curve on the board. Anthony Norman followed and joined Durham on base with a clean single to right, putting two on with one out for the pitcher. Morris executed a perfect sacrifice bunt, upping the runners to scoring position, where Chase d'Arnaud plated them with a two-run single to right, trimming the lead to one.

Morris worked a season-low two innings and allowed four runs on six hits to draw the loss. He was replaced by Derek Hankins, who proceeded to retire the first six men he faced to establish order.

Meanwhile, Stinson settled in and took the game into the sixth, where he allowed a leadoff double to Mercer that just missed getting out of the yard to left-center. After Jones grounded out to first, moving Mercer up to third, the right-hander departed and handed the ball to Edgar Ramirez. Ramirez bailed Stinson out of trouble, getting the next two outs to maintain the one-run margin.

Ramirez hit d'Arnaud leading off the seventh. Gorkys Hernandez bunted the runner up to second and reached on an errant throw from Nickeas. However, d'Arnaud rounded second too aggressively and was caught in a run down by Josh Satin who was backing up Nickeas' throw. With the lead runner erased, Ramirez retired the next two hitters to avoid trouble.

Dylan Owen took over in the eighth and struck out a pair of men, sandwiching a Jones single. With two outs and a runner aboard, Roy Merritt took over and struck out left-handed hitting Anthony Norman to send the game to the ninth.

On the Altoona front, Hankins exited in the ninth in favor of Anthony Claggett, who retired the side, scattering a hit. Hankins allowed just four hits over six innings and registered six strikeouts.

Merritt remained on for the bottom of the ninth and sat down the first two hitters before giving up a two-out single to Hernandez, extending the Curve centerfielder's hitting streak to 12 games. Eddie Kunz was summoned to record the game's final out. Hernandez stole second on Kunz's first pitch to Josh Harrison, putting the tying run in scoring position. However, Kunz got Harrison to fly out to center, ending the game and sealing his second save in as many days.

Stinson was credited with the win courtesy of 5 1/3 innings of work. The righty gave up three runs on seven hits for his sixth win of the year. Binghamton is now a perfect 8-0 in games started by Stinson.

The B-Mets return home for a four-game set with New Hampshire, which holds a five-game lead over the B-Mets for second in the Eastern League East. The series begins Friday at 7:05 PM. LHP Eric Niesen (4-3, 3.61) will start for Binghamton and RHP Kyle Drabek (8-8, 3.20) gets the call for the Fisher Cats. The radio broadcast on Newsradio 1290 WNBF begins at 6:50 PM with the Horizons Federal Credit Union Pre-Game Show.

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Eastern League Stories from July 8, 2010


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