B-Mets 11, Connecticut 5

A seven-run second inning set the tone in the Binghamton Mets 11-5 win over the Connecticut Defenders Monday night at NYSEG Stadium. It was the highest run output for the B-Mets at home this season. Ruben Tejada went 3-4 with two runs and Josh Petersen and Ike Davis hit solo home runs in the contest.

The Defenders struck first off Jake Ruckle in the first inning. Ruckle hit Mike McBryde to lead off the game and then he advanced to second on Brandon Crawford’s groundout. With two outs, Eddy Martinez-Esteve drove in McBryde with a single to make it 1-0.

Binghamton brought 12 men to the plate against Defenders starter Garrett Broshuis in the second and seven runs, tying a season high for any single inning. Connecticut committed two errors in the frame and Broshuis walked a man and hit a batter to contribute to the messy inning. Lucas Duda extended his Eastern League-leading hitting streak to 18 games with a two-run single to highlight the frame, and Petersen capped the scoring with a run-scoring fielder’s choice, making it 7-1.

In the third, Davis smashed a double down the first base line that scored Josh Thole to stretch the lead to 8-1. Petersen added to the hit parade with a solo homer in the fourth off Broshuis, his third of the year.

Connecticut (54-41) responded with three in the fifth when McBryde hit a three-run homer off Ruckle, cutting the margin to five. In the sixth, Sharlon Schoop hit into a double play with the bases loaded plating Martinez-Esteve to move within four at 9-5.

Binghamton (36-58) tallied an insurance run in the seventh off Dan Griffin when Tejada singled for his third hit of the night. Malo then drove him in with a stand-up triple, bringing the score to 10-5. Davis went deep off Griffin in the eighth for his fifth home run of the season, making 11-5.

Ruckle went five-plus innings giving up five runs on four hits for his first win in three starts.

Broshuis dropped to 2-1 on the season as he went four innings allowing nine runs, two earned, on eight hits.