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Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Evans Powers B-Mets to 7-4 Triumph Over Erie

April 12, 2010 - Eastern League (EL1)
Binghamton Rumble Ponies News Release


First baseman Nick Evans hit his first two home runs of the season to propel Binghamton to a 7-4 victory over the winless Erie SeaWolves in the opener of the three-game set Monday night at NYSEG Stadium. Right-hander Eddie Kunz picked up the win in his first professional start after allowing four runs in five innings.

Binghamton (2-3) grabbed the lead in the first inning when Evans hit his first home run, a two-run shot to right that plated Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who had opened the inning with a walk. With two outs in the frame, Zach Lutz drew a walk to keep the inning going. Marshall Hubbard made starter Andy Oliver pay for his wildness with a ringing double off the right-centerfield wall to score Lutz and pit the B-Mets a 3-0 advantage.

In the second, Oliver walked Carlos Guzman to lead off the inning. Luis Hernandez followed with a single to put two on with nobody out. After Nieuwenhuis struck out, Jonathan Malo laced a single off the glove of SeaWolves shortstop Cale Iorg. Iorg recovered and attempted to force Hernandez at second, but threw the ball away into right field allowing Guzman to score from second making it 4-0.

Lutz put the B-Mets on the board for the third straight inning with a solo homer to left off Oliver in the third.

Erie (0-5) cut into Binghamton's five-run lead in the fourth inning. Kunz walked Michael Bertram with one out and Cesar Nicholas reached base on a fielder's choice that included an error by Malo, who failed to catch Lutz's feed at second intended to force the lead runner. With two on, Deik Scram smashed a 2-2 offering for the B-Mets starter over the fence in right to get the SeaWolves on the board 5-3.

The B-Mets answered in the bottom of the frame when Malo atoned for his error with a two-out, broken-bat single to right that scored Hernandez, who Oliver walked earlier in the inning. Oliver departed after the RBI single. It was his first professional outing after being drafted in the second round by the Detroit Tigers last year. He allowed six runs, five earned, over 3.2 innings to take the loss.

The SeaWolves managed another run courtesy of a Santo De Leon homer down the left-field line to get back within two runs, but that was as close as Erie would get.

Evans increased the lead in the seventh inning with a long, solo home run off reliever Zach Simons to give Binghamton its winning margin, 7-4.

Jose De La Torre and Roy Merritt were dominant out of the bullpen in relief of Kunz to make the lead stand up. De La Torre retired all nine men who faced him, including six via strikeout, over three perfect innings. Merritt, who blew his first save chance Saturday against Akron, rebounded with a scoreless ninth to earn his first save of the season.

Malo, who entered the contest 0-5 on the season, went 2-4 with an RBI to go along with Evan's two-homer game to pace the offensive onslaught.

The B-Mets aim to earn the series win in the middle game of the series tomorrow at 6:35. Opening night starter LHP Eric Niesen (0-1, 6.75) will make his second start Tuesday night against fellow lefty Jon Kibler (0-1, 1.80), who will go for the SeaWolves. The radio broadcast on Newsradio 1290 WNBF begins at 6:20 with the Horizons Federal Credit Union Pre-Game Show.

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