B-Mets battle for 7-5 win over Erie

6/24/2012 (Updated 11:20:13 PM)

ERIE, PA  The Binghamton Mets held off a late rally and defeated the Erie SeaWolves by a 7-5 score Sunday afternoon at Jerry Uht Park. Robert Carson capped a five-out save by striking out Jordan Lennerton, stranding the potential game-tying run at first. Wilmer Flores drove in two runs and collected a pair of doubles in a four-hit game.

The contest saw 22 combined hits and clocked in at three hours, twenty-two minutes, the longest nine-inning B-Mets game of the season.

Binghamton had to play catch-up early. Nick Castellanos gave Erie the lead with a solo homer off Armando Rodriguez in the first. Rodriguez filled in for scheduled starter Mark Cohoon who was called up to the Buffalo Bisons prior to the game.

The B-Mets immediately responded against Jared Wesson in the second. Flores started the rally with a double to left center and scored when Francisco Pena doubled to left. Pedro Zapata gave Binghamton the lead with a two-out RBI single up the middle.

Erie erased the lead in the bottom of the frame. Tony Plagman reached on an infield single, stole second, moved to third on a groundout and scored when Rodriguez uncorked a wild pitch, tying the game at two.

Binghamton used another two-run inning to break the tie and take the lead for good in the third. After Wesson loaded the bases by allowing a single and issuing two walks, Flores made him pay. The third baseman stroked his second double in as many innings to the right field alley, driving in two and giving Binghamton a 4-2 edge.

After Jordan Lennerton cut the deficit to one with a solo home run in the third, the B-Mets tacked on. Jefry Marte scored in the fifth on a wild pitch by reliever Cesar Carrillo and Pedro Zapata greeted Michael Morrison with a homer to lead off the sixth. Reese Havens capped Binghamtons scoring with an opposite-field solo home run off Robbie Weinhardt in the eighth.

Meanwhile, Erik Turgeon and Ryan Fraser combined for four shutout innings of relief for Binghamton. Turgeon worked around a leadoff double to post a scoreless fourth and faced the minimum in the fifth. Fraser tossed a perfect sixth and navigated around a single to add a shutout seventh.

Adrian Rosario took a four-run lead into the eighth and nearly let it slip away. He paid immediately for walking Jamie Johnson to start the frame when Niuman Romero laced an RBI double to right. After a single and a walk loaded the bases, Rosario was replaced by Robert Carson.

With the tying run on first, the southpaw calmly induced Tony Plagman to fly out to right and struck out Brandon Douglas to end the inning.

The ninth was no cruise for Carson. Luis Sanz singled to center and Johnson reached on a fielding error by Havens at second to bring the tying run to the plate. Castellanos cut the deficit to two by lining a two-out, run-scoring single to right. Lennerton came to the plate representing the game-winning run, but struck out on three pitches to end the game.

Fraser (1-0) earned the official scorer-awarded victory, his first win as a B-Met. Wesson (4-5) suffered his fifth loss and failed to go five innings for the third consecutive start. Carson collected his sixth save.

The B-Mets (35-38) wrap up their four-game series against Erie and complete their nine-game roadtrip Monday night at 7:05 PM. RHP Zack Wheeler goes for Binghamton against RHP James Avery.

(Courtesy: B-Mets)

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