Nick Evans smashed a three-run homer and the Binghamton bullpen made a slim one-run margin hold up in the final two innings at MerchantsAuto.com Stadium Thursday night as the B-Mets overcame the Fisher Cats 7-6. Evans managed a two-hit day, including a double and the homer, and scored two runs.
Binghamton (5-3) entered the fourth down 3-1. Luis Hernandez opened the inning by drawing a walk off Fisher Cats starter Zach Stewart. After Mike Nickeas struck out, Jose Coronado singled up the middle putting runners at first and second. Kirk Nieuwenhuis moved the runners up with a groundout to the right side. Evans then came to the plate a smoked a hanging slider from Stewart over the left field wall to give the B-Mets a 4-3 advantage.
In the fifth, Binghamton added three more. Zach Lutz led off and smashed a two-strike fastball off the batter’s eye in centerfield for a home run, his second of the season. With one out, Hernandez singled and was driven home by Nickeas, who doubled down the third base line. After Stewart exited, reliever Trystan Magnuson struck out Coronado leading back to the top of the order and Nieuwenhuis, who drove a double down the line in left to plate Nickeas, giving the B-Mets a 7-3 advantage.
New Hampshire (4-3) fought back with a pair of runs in the sixth off reliever Clint Everts who struggled with his command. The righty worked just a third of an inning and allowed two hits, a walk and threw a wild pitch that scored a run.
Now only ahead by two runs, Binghamton turned to Roy Merritt to right the ship. The lefty promptly got the final two outs in the sixth and proceeded to throw the seventh and the eighth innings for his longest outing since August 30, 2008 when he threw three innings of relief in a Brooklyn Cyclone uniform.
Merritt did allow a run to score in the seventh inning on a Brad Emaus RBI single that got the Fisher Cats within a run. However, in the ninth, John Lujan slammed the door on New Hampshire with a 1-2-3 inning, including a pair of strikeouts.
Evans had two hits, the three-run homer and a double, and drove in three runs and Lutz went 2-5 with a homer and two RBI.
Stewart took the loss for the Fisher Cats. The right-hander allowed seven runs on nine hits over 4.1 innings and walked four men.
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