Binghamton rallied for a pair runs in the ninth inning to close within a run, but Luis Marte struck out Zach Lutz with the tying run at second to secure the 7-6 win for the homestanding Erie SeaWolves Thursday afternoon. B-Mets split the four-game series and won five of seven on the lengthy road trip.
Entering the ninth, Binghamton (16-11) found itself in a three-run hole. With Marte on in search of his fourth save, the B-Mets mounted a rally. Mike Nickeas led off the frame with a single, his third hit of the game. Kirk Nieuwenhuis joined him on the bags with one out, thanks to an error committed by second baseman Justin Henry on a would-be double-play ball. Marte proceeded to walk the next hitter, Nick Evans, to load the bases. Luis Hernandez smacked a sac fly to center to plate Nickeas, getting Binghamton within two. Now an out away from the save, Marte surrendered an RBI single to Lucas Duda, moving the B-Mets within a run. However, Marte struck out Lutz swinging to end the game and nail down his fourth save in as many chances.
The B-Mets were first on the scoreboard in the second inning when Duda connected on a high fastball from starter L.J. Gagnier, sending it over the wall in right for his sixth homer of the year, pitting Binghamton a 1-0 lead.
Hernandez added to the lead in the third with a sac fly to center, which pushed across Nieuwenhuis, who had led the inning off with a single.
Erie (14-13) responded in the home half of the third with a three-run blast off starter Scott Shaw courtesy of Josh Burrus, giving the SeaWolves their first lead, 3-2.
In the fourth, Binghamton rallied to tie when Marshall Hubbard left the yard to right off Gagnier for his third bomb of 2010.
The B-Mets retook the lead in the sixth. Hubbard, Carlos Guzman and Nickeas reached on singles to load the bases, knocking Gagnier from the game after five-plus innings of work. Jay Voss was summoned from the bullpen and limited Binghamton to just a run on a sac fly to left from Jose Coronado, which scored Hubbard, vaulting the B-Mets to a 4-3 lead.
The SeaWolves answered the bell in the bottom of the frame when Wilkin Ramirez smashed a solo job to center off Shaw. Ramirez’s shot tied him with Lutz and New Hampshire’s Eric Thames for the Eastern League lead.
Erie dealt the deciding blow in the seventh when Cesar Nicolas lifted an opposite field homer to right off Clint Everts, who had just replaced Roy Merritt.
Merritt was charged with the loss for allowing two runs over 1 1/3 innings. Voss notched the win for Erie with three, shutout innings of relief.
Shaw, who was denied his fifth straight win, allowed four runs over 5 1/3 innings.
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