Binghamton 5, Trenton 4
Trenton Thunder pitcher’s must tremble at the thought of facing Cesar Puello. Puello blasted two more homeruns, his first to tie the game and his second the game winner, as the B-Mets came from behind to beat the Thunder, 5-4, at NYSEG Stadium today.
Puello went 7-13 in the three game Trenton series, blasting 4 homeruns, knocking home 8 runs and raising his batting average to .320. Puello has hit 7 homeruns this year in 6 games with Trenton. The B-Met outfielder is tied for 2nd in HR’s in the Eastern League with 12 and has a B-Met high 41 RBI’s.
Puello’s first solo hot in the B-Met sixth tied the score at 3-3. Alonso Harris doubled with two outs to score Joe Bonfe giving Binghamton the lead in the same inning, but Trenton rallied to tie the score, 4-4, in the visitor’s eighth. Puello’s second solo shot was the B-Met game winner in the B-Met half of the inning.
Trenton Thunder play-by-play announcers were stunned by Puello’s prowess at the plate stating flatly, “We just can’t get him out.” The announcer went on to say he was ‘aghast at how good this guy is.’
Puello wasn’t the only B-Met story of the morning. After a shaky start Binghamton pitcher Cory Mazzoni turned in a brilliant outing on the mound. Mazzoni had trouble finishing during his first two frames, yielding three two out runs, one in the first and two in the second inning.
The big B-Met right-hander found his groove and was nearly untouchable after that allowing only two hits after the second inning. Mazzoni lasted 6 2/3 throwing 101 pitches, striking out 11 and walking only 3.
Jack Leathersich relieved Mazzoni, striking out Ramon Flores looking to end the seventh but ran into trouble in the seventh. Slade Heathcott walked to leadoff the Trenton eighth followed by Kyle Rollers hard outfield single. When Leathersich walked Tyson Blaser on a 3-2 fastball, Trenton had the bases loaded and nobody out.
The B-Met lefty fanned Neil Medchill swinging before giving way to Binghamton closer Jeff Walters. Jose Pirela hit Walter’s first pitch to the warning track in leftfield for a sacrifice fly with Heathcott tagging to score the games tying run. Walters was perfect for Binghamton the rest of the way.
Control issues helped Binghamton plate their first two runs in the home second. Alonso Harris worked Thunder starter Matt Tracy for a bases loaded no out walk scoring Allan Dykstra for the B-Mets first run. Tracy would walk 5 Binghamton batters in 5.2 innings of work. Xorge Carrillo ground into a 6-4-3 double plasy with Richard Lucas scoring the second B-Met run.
A large morning crowd of 4,388 watched the first place B-Mets improve to 35-25. Binghamton travels to Altoona to take on the Curve in a three-game set this weekend.
Key Stats
Cesar Puello: 2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
Alonzo Harris: 1-for-2, 1 2B, 2 BB, 2 RBI
Richard Lucas: 2-for-3, 1 BB, 1 R
Cory Mazzoni: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 3 R, 2 ER, 11 K
Jack Leathersich: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 ER, 2 K
Jeff Walters: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB