Portland 6 - Binghamton 5

Portland Sea Dogs infielder Mookie Betts lined a walk-off, two-run triple down the right-field line in the ninth inning to stun the Binghamton Mets in a 6-5 loss at Hadlock Field on Thursday night. Betts’ shot drove in two runs and handed Binghamton their fifth straight defeat.

With the B-Mets clinging to a tenuous 5-4 lead, Cody Satterwhite took the hill in the ninth. Peter Hissey started the rally by walking on four pitches and Shannon Wilkerson set the table with a bunt single. Satterwhite worked ahead of Betts with an 0-2 before the league leader in batting average shot the game-winning hit into the corner.

The thrilling game started quietly. B-Mets starter Rainy Lara battled his command through his three innings on the mound. He walked a pair in the first, but escaped unscathed. He failed to carry that success into the third. After walking the first two batters of the inning, Lara surrendered a three-run homer to Travis Shaw. The Sea Dogs’ first baseman deposited his third home run of the season into the right-field seats to give Portland a 3-0 lead.

Lara exited after three innings, his shortest outing as a starter since he pitched in the Dominican Summer League in 2010. Jack Leathersich took over in the fourth and fanned four Sea Dogs in two scoreless innings.

Portland starter Mickey Pena silenced the B-Mets through five scoreless innings, allowing just one single and issuing one walk. Following a one-out double by Matt Reynolds in the first, Pena retired 15 of the next 16 batters he faced.

Kevin Plawecki ended Pena’s cruise in the sixth. Following Kyle Johnson’s one-out single, Plawecki blasted a first-pitch fastball over the “Maine Monster” in left-center field. His blast cut Portland’s lead to one.

Binghamton finally grabbed the lead in the seventh. After allowing two singles to the first three batters the inning, Pena walked Travis Taijeron in an eight-pitch battle to load the bases. Miguel Celestino entered from the bullpen and Wilfredo Tovar greeted the righty by pulling a two-run single into left, giving the B-Mets a 4-3 advantage.

Portland composed their rebuttal in their next turn at the plate. Hissey led off the seventh by pulling a triple into the right-field corner against John Church. Three batters later, Derrik Gibson bounced an infield single to short bringing Hissey home to tie the game. With the Sea Dogs still threatening, Adam Kolarek took the reins and induced Shaw to roll into an inning-ending double play.

The B-Mets returned serve against Celestino in the eighth. Jayce Boyd dumped a double down the right-field line and was pinch-run for by Rylan Sandoval. The move paid immediate dividends for Binghamton. Lawley dumped a single into right and Sandoval scored from second, narrowly beating Betts’ throw to the plate.

Kolarek collected the first two outs of the eighth before handing off to Satterwhite for the final putout of the inning, the last out the bullpen would collect in the game.

Satterwhite (2-1) allowed two runs on two hits in his first blown save of the season. Aaron Kurcz (1-1) tossed a shutout ninth inning and earned the win after Betts’ walk-off hit.

The B-Mets (24-21) return home to celebrate Memorial Day Weekend with a four-game series against the New Britain Rock Cats. RHP Tyler Pill takes the mound on Friday night at 7:05 PM against LHP Taylor Rogers. The Horizons Federal Credit Union Pregame Show, starting at 6:50 PM, can be heard on News

POST-GAME NOTES: The B-Mets went 4-5 on their nine-game road trip…Binghamton has now lost seven of their last eight meetings with Portland…it was Binghamton’s second walk-off loss of the season - team press release