Binghamton 8, Akron 7

The Binghamton Mets set a new franchise record with four triples and took advantage of a costly error by Akron leftfielder Nick Weglarz in the 10th inning to beat the Aeros 8-7 in 10 innings Friday night at Canal Park in Akron, OH. Two of the team’s four triples came from Brahiam Maldonado, who joins Rodney Nye and Tony Darden as the only three players in team history to record two triples in a game.

Binghamton (12-9) needed help to break the game’s 7-7 deadlock in the 10th inning. With one out, Kirk Nieuwenhuis swung at an errant 0-2 fastball from Akron stopper Vinnie Pestano. The wild pitch reached the backstop allowing Nieuwenhuis to reach despite striking out. After Hector Pellot flied out to right, Lucas Duda worked the count to 3-1 on Pestano. Duda hit a towering flyball down the line in left on the 3-1 offering. Weglarz, who was playing deep so as to eliminate the possibility of an extra-base hit, rushed in to snag the fly, but overran the ball, missing it entirely. Nieuwenhuis who was running on contact with two outs, motored around from first and scored the decisive run.

The B-Mets were the first and last on the scoreboard. In the first inning, Nieuwenhuis singled to open the game off starter Ryan Edell. Nieuwenhuis promptly stole second and took third on Lucas Duda’s single to left. With runners at the corners and two out, Luke Montz lined a singled to left, plating Nieuwenhuis with the game’s first run.

The bottom of the inning produced the bulk of Akron’s (8-13) runs. Brad Holt, in just his second start of the season, put the first three men on base to open the inning. The young righty chased home the tying run with a bases-loaded walk to Matt McBride. Then, Beau Mills grounded a single into center, putting the Aeros on top 2-1. After Holt struck out Carlos Rivero, he was replaced by Josh Stinson.

Stinson proceeded to allow all the runners left on base by Holt to score as well as a run of his own courtesy of a Cord Phelps two-run single and a Jared Goedert two-run double, which pitted Akron a 6-1 lead. Holt was charged for five runs in just a third on an inning.

In the B-Mets first 20 games of 2010, they failed to hit a triple, but they would mash the first of four on the night in the second. Maldonado lined an Edell offering off the wall in center for a leadoff triple. The three-bagger ended a 1-20 slump for Maldonado. Carlos Guzman drove him home with a sac fly to left, cutting the deficit to four.

In the fourth, the B-Mets rallied to take the lead. Marshall Hubbard, who returned from the disabled list Friday, walked to open the five-run frame. Maldonado drove him home with his second triple of the game, a liner to center that was misplayed by Tim Fedroff. Guzman plated Maldonado on a bloop single to center. After Jose Coronado struck out, Nieuwenhuis and Jonathan Malo hit back-to-back triples to tie the score. Malo would score the go-ahead run after Edell departed on a Zach Lutz RBI single, making it 7-6.

Edell was charged with seven runs on nine hits over 3.1 innings, but struck out a season-high six men in a no-decision.

Akron tied the game with an RBI single from Phelps off reliever Jose De La Torre in the fifth. However, that was the only blemish on the bullpen, which tossed 9 2/3 innings and allowed just two runs to make up for Holt’s poor start.

Roy Merritt picked up his first win of the year with two perfect innings. He has now retired 17 consecutive hitters dating back to April 25 and has thrown 7 1/3 straight scoreless frames.