Binghamton 6, Richmond 4

Binghamton tied a season-best with five runs in the first inning and Brahiam Maldonado set a season-high with three hits in the B-Mets’ 6-4 victory over Richmond at The Diamond Tuesday night. All 10 runs scored in the contest were plated in the first two innings.



Binghamton (21-41) wasted no time breaking through against left-hander Ryan Verdugo. Jon Malo converted an 0-2 count into a single to center. Reese Havens moved Malo up to second with a slow groundout to second. From there, he scored on Josh Satin’s RBI single to left to give the B-Mets the lead for good. After Maldonado flied out, Verdugo walked Allan Dykstra. Salomon Manriquez followed and worked the count full before splitting the gap in left-center for a two-run double. Jordany Valdespin and Eric Campbell followed with RBI singles to spot Tobi Stoner a 5-0 lead.



Stoner, who was making his fourth start, gave up a leadoff double to Justin Christian. The right-hander coaxed a groundball to short off the bat of Charlie Culberson, but Valdespin mishandled it and threw wild allowing Culberson to reach. Johnny Monell came next and worked the count full. The runners left with the payoff pitch. Monell swung through a Stoner fastball for the third strike and Manriquez put a perfect throw on the bag at third, but Satin could not handle it and the ball trickled into left field. Christian came home to score on the error and Culberson coasted into third. Roger Kieschnick drove the runner home from third with a sacrifice fly to left, which cut the B-Mets lead to three.



Reese Havens got a run back in the second with a solo home run to right-center off Verdugo. It was the second baseman’s second homer with Binghamton.

Richmond (31-32) answered in the bottom of the frame once again. Stoner hit Nick Noonan with a fastball to lead off the frame. Noonan exited in favor of pinch-runner Ryan Lormand. Juan Perez golfed a single into left and Jose Flores followed with a single to right to load the bases with no outs. Stoner settled in and struck out Verdugo. With one out, Christian chased home Lormand with a fielder’s choice to third. Culberson followed with a two-out, infield single, which scored Perez. The scoring ceased for both teams after that.

Stoner retired 9 of the last 10 hitters he faced to qualify for the win, his second. He allowed four runs — two earned — on four hits and struck out five. Verdugo struck out five of the last six men he faced, but exited to the loss after five innings.

Ricky Brooks relieved Stoner in the sixth and offered up two, scoreless innings. Eric Niesen recorded one out in the eighth after allowing a single and was replaced by Erik Turgeon. The B-Mets closer nailed down his fourth save in seven chances by retiring the final five men he faced.



The B-Mets outhit the Flying Squirrels 12-6. In addition to Maldonado, Campbell managed three hits. He went 3-for-4 with an RBI.