B-Mets Win Hive Opener, 3-2

For Immediate Release
Date: April 16, 2009 Contact: Matt McCabe, mmccabe@bmets.com

B-Mets Sneak by Portland in Home Opener

In front of 5,148 fans at NYSEG Stadium, the second largest crowd in home-opener history, the B-Mets picked up a win behind strong bullpen performances and the bat of Lucas Duda.

Duda drove in two runs, which proved to be the difference makers, down the stretch for Binghamton (4-2). His RBI single in the fifth inning scored Josh Thole from second to give the B-Mets their first lead of the contest 3-2.

After Thole’s second double of the game and a Shawn Bowman single, Duda tallied his second RBI on a sacrifice fly to left field to make the score 4-2.

The Duda sacrifice fly proved to be big down the stretch as Julio De La Cruz was charged with an earned run after departing in the eighth inning stranding a runner at second with one out for closer Roy Merritt. With two outs, Jorge Jimenez got the Sea Dogs within one with an RBI single to center to score Lars Anderson, who had doubled off of De La Cruz.

But Merritt came out firing in the ninth inning, retiring Portland (4-4) in order to seal the win and his fourth save. Merritt went 1.2 innings, his longest outing of the season, to nail down the save.

Fernando Nieve got the starting nod for the B-Mets going three innings surrendering two runs and left in a tie ball game. Nieve is a former Major League pitcher with the Houston Astros who was assigned to Binghamton after being claimed off waivers by the Mets. LHP Adam Bostick (1-0) was awarded the win for three scoreless innings of relief striking out five.

Thole finished 2-4 with two doubles and two runs scored. Carl Loadenthal added three hits in four plate appearances, including a double to raise his average to .381.