An avalanche of offense lifted Binghamton past Erie, 9-4, in the final game of a brief three game home stand with Erie on Thursday night, and propelled the B-Mets to an 8-7, win over Reading to open a seven-game road trip last night.
The Binghamton bats sizzled in the two contests as the B-Mets scored 17 runs and amassed 27 hits. The offensive deluge reduced Binghamton’s magic number to reach the Eastern League playoffs to six and leaves the B-Mets just one game behind Portland in the Eastern League’s Eastern Division race.
Dilson Herrera continues to hit for power. The B-Met’s slugging second baseman came off a two double offensive performance Thursday night to blast his 8th home run of the year, a solo shot that ignited a 4-run B-Met first inning last night.
Reading pitcher Ryan O’Sullivan gave the B-Met offense a boost, walking Brian Burgamy and Jayce Boyd following the Herrera blast. A red hot Darrell Ceciliani singled home Burgamy. One out later, Juan Centeno, who went 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles and three RBI’s on Thursday, singled home Boyd. O’Sullivan was removed in favor of Austin Wright, and Wilfredo Tovar greeted the relief pitcher with a single scoring Ceciliani.
Brandon Nimmo pulled a Wright pitch over the right field wall to open the B-Met second, the B-Met center fielder’s 6th HR of the season. But, Reading’s Jake Fox answered with a long ball shot of his own in the bottom of the frame to make it 5-1, B-Mets.
Centeno walked with two outs in the third setting up the sixth Binghamton score. Back-to-back singles by Tovar and B-Met pitcher Rainy Lara plated Centeno giving the visitors a 6-1 advantage.
But, Reading would battle back, scoring three times with two outs in the home third– the big blow a Jake Fox double. When Logan Moore led off the fourth with a solo HR the B-Met was whittled to 6-5.
Hansel Robles, who replaced Lara in the third had trouble locating the plate walking Fox and Aaron Altherr to open the Reading fifth. Fox would tag and move to third on a Brock Stassi fly ball to center field then repeat the act to tie the score on a Moore fly ball in the following at bat.
Brian Burgamy’s 23rd home run of the season made the difference in the B-Met seventh. Reading inserted Colton Murray into the game to pitch. After Murray walked Herrera, Burgamy slammed the game winner over the right-center field wall for the B-Mets.
Kelly Dugan’s HR in the bottom half of the frame drew Reading within 8-7, but that’s how the contest would end as Randy Fontanez threw a scoreless inning of relief in the eighth and Cody Satterwhite earned his 14th save in the ninth to preserve the Binghamton win.
Chase Huchingson (3-1) picked up the win in relief for the B-Mets.
Binghamton continues to get offensive production from every direction. As he has for most of the season, veteran infielder Brian Burgamy has paced the Binghamton offensive explosion hitting .444 over his last ten games with three HR’s and 10 RBI’s. Jayce Boyd and Darrell Ceciliani have been red hot with Boyd going 14-for-33 at a .422 clip and Ceciliani hitting .357 over the same time span.
(Photo credit: Mark Olson/MiLB.com)
