EL1 New Hampshire Fisher Cats

Dopirak slams 9th-inning HR in 3-2 loss to Mets

Published on May 11, 2009 under Eastern League (EL1)
New Hampshire Fisher Cats News Release


Manchester, NH- Brian Dopirak ripped his team-leading eighth home run of the season in the bottom of the ninth inning, and Rommie Lewis registered a season-high four strikeouts over two shutout frames of relief, but the Binghamton Mets received seven innings of two-hit baseball from Tobi Stoner in his season debut and held on for a 3-2 victory over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats at Merchantsauto.com Stadium on Monday night.

The Mets (14-15) took a 1-0 lead by scoring an unearned run in the top of the second inning against losing pitcher Rey Gonzalez. Mark Kiger (1-for-4, R) and Carl Loadenthal (3-for-4, RBI) connected for consecutive two-out singles, and Kiger scored when Sanchez misplayed Ruben Tejada's grounder.

In the top of the third, Josh Thole (1-for-4, HR) ripped Gonzalez's 2-1 pitch deep over the right field wall for his first home run of the season, a solo shot that staked Binghamton to a 2-0 lead.

The Mets went in front, 3-0, in the sixth inning when Gonzalez (1-1) yielded a two-out RBI single to Loadenthal that plated Shawn Bowman (1-for-4, 2B, R).

Lewis kept the Fisher Cats in the game by fanning four of the seven hitters he faced in the eighth and ninth.

New Hampshire (17-14) rallied in the bottom of the eighth when Nick Gorneault (1-for-4, R) and Cody Haerther (1-for-3) hit back-to-back singles off reliever Julio De La Cruz. Left-hander Roy Merritt surrendered a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to Luis Sanchez (0-for-3, SF, RBI), trimming the B-Mets' lead to 3-1.

Facing Merritt with one out in the ninth, Dopirak (1-for-4, HR) made it 3-2 by launching a homer that landed on the patio in left-centerfield for his Eastern League-leading 19th extra-base hit of the season. Merritt, however, would recover to pick up his 10th save, tied for the most in the EL.

Stoner (1-0) held the Fisher Cats to two hits over seven innings with one walk and three strikeouts to earn the win.

Gonzalez allowed three runs-two earned- in six innings to absorb the loss. The right-hander walked three and notched two strikeouts.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Casey Janssen (0-0, 0.00) makes his first appearance for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats since 2005 when he takes the mound on Tuesday night at 6:35pm against B-Mets left-hander Mike Antonini (4-1, 4.88) at Merchantsauto.com Stadium. Radio coverage begins at 6:15pm with the BayRing Pre-Game Show on the WGIR Fisher Cats Radio Network with Mike Murphy.

Tuesday night is Indian Head Athletics Scholar Athlete Night at Merchantsauto.com Stadium. For tickets, visit www.nhfishercats.com or call (603) 641-2005.

Check out the New Hampshire Fisher Cats Statistics

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Eastern League Stories from May 11, 2009


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