EL1 Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Hubbard Homers in Tenth, Leads B-Mets to Fifth Straight Win

Published on May 3, 2010 under Eastern League (EL1)
Binghamton Rumble Ponies News Release


After blowing a two-run lead in the ninth, B-Mets designated hitter Marshall Hubbard provided atonement with a two-run, game-winning shot to right off Brooks Brown, leading Binghamton to its fifth straight win, 7-5 over Erie, at Jerry Uht Park Monday night. Eddie Kunz offered up his best start of the season. The converted reliever fired a career-high six innings and did not walk a hitter for the first time in 2010.

Brown got the 10th inning started all wrong with a walk to Lucas Duda. Hubbard followed Duda with a no-doubt bomb to right on a 1-1 offering from the Erie (12-12) stopper to give the B-Mets the lead back. It was Hubbard's second homer of the season.

Binghamton (15-9) carried a 5-3 lead entering the ninth. With Roy Merritt, who had worked 8 1/3 innings consecutively without allowing a run, on in relief the win seemed inevitable. However, the SeaWolves built a rally. Cale Iorg doubled off Merritt into the left-field corner with one out to get the ball rolling. Pinch-hitter Shawn Roof followed with an RBI single to right on the first pitch he saw from the southpaw, cutting the margin to one. After Merritt struck out Josh Burrus for the second out, he was pulled in favor of a right-hander, Clint Everts, with reigning Eastern League Hitter of the Week Wilkin Ramirez due at the plate. Ramirez, who was 0-4 entering his plate appearance, throttled a double off the wall in left to plate Roof with the tying run.

Everts was credited with his first win of the season. He tossed a 1-2-3 10th frame after blowing the save in the ninth. The righty hurled 1 1/3 innings and struck out three.

For the second straight game, the B-Mets plated runs in the first frame. This time Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Nick Evans led off the inning with back-to-back singles off starter Thad Weber. After Luis Hernandez flied out to center, Duda doubled off the wall in left, plating both men, pitting Binghamton a 2-0 lead. Evans was activated from the disabled list prior to the game after missing five games due to a strained right oblique.

The SeaWolves tallied a run in the bottom of the same inning on a two-out, RBI double from Cesar Nicolas to get back within a run.

Binghamton answered in the second, once again getting the first two hitters on with singles. With runners at the corners, Jonathan Malo lifted a flyball to right that was deep enough allowing Carlos Guzman to score from third.

Erie plated a single run in the fifth inning thanks to an error at third by Jose Coronado and then rallied to tie in the third on a Josh Burrus sac fly right.

The B-Mets retook the lead in the eighth after Weber departed. Jay Voss inherited Duda, who Weber left on base after permitting a one-out single. Voss promptly struck out Hubbard before giving up a single to Coronado that kept the inning going for Guzman, who sliced a double down the line in left, plating Duda.

Binghamton added an insurance run in the ninth on an RBI fielder's choice from Evans to third. That run proved pivotal in the end with The SeaWolves two-run, ninth-inning rally forthcoming.

Kunz allowed two runs, one earned, over his six innings and allowed six hits for a no-decision.

Weber was terrific his fifth start, as he went a season-long 7 1/3 innings and allowed four runs on eight hits. Brown was hung with the loss, his first. The Georgia native permitted three runs over 2.1 innings.

The win pushed the B-Mets winning streak to five games, tying their longest such streak of the season. Game two of the four-game set is set for 6:35 PM Tuesday night when RHP Dylan Owen (1-1, 3.43) takes to the hill and will be opposed by LHP Andy Oliver (2-1, 5.03). The radio broadcast on Newsradio 1290 WNBF begins at 6:20 with the Horizons Federal Credit Union Pre-Game Show.

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Eastern League Stories from May 3, 2010


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