Richmond 11, Binghamton 9

Binghamton rallied back from an 11-4 deficit and brought the tying run to the plate before Richmond sealed its 11-9 triumph over the B-Mets at The Diamond Thursday night. With the win, the Flying Squirrels took the series two games to one. Jordany Valdespin paced the team’s season-best, 17-hit attack with a 3-for-6 showing, including two homers and four RBI.



Richmond (33-32) jumped on the board first courtesy of a Valdespin error at short. Justin Christian hit a routine groundball to the shortstop to start the inning, but he booted it for his team-leading 15th error of the season. Charlie Culberson moved Christian to second on a groundout and he scored from second on a sacrifice fly to center from Roger Kieschnick.

Binghamton (21-43) starter Brad Holt gave the Squirrels a commanding lead in the second. Wes Hodges led off with a double and scored on Juan Perez’s triple to center. Holt then hit a batter and issued a walk to load the bases. He moved within an out of getting out of the inning when Richmond hurler Justin Fitzgerald lined into an unassisted double play to third baseman Josh Satin. However, Christian made Holt’s control issues count with a three-run homer to left, which upped the advantage to 5-0.



The B-Mets bats came alive against Fitzgerald in the fourth. Salomon Manriquez led off with a double to left. After Fitzgerald struck out back-to-back hitters, Holt singled down the right-field line to plate Manriquez. Valdespin followed and drove a two-run jack out of the yard to right, which moved Binghamton with two, 5-3.



The Flying Squirrels retaliated though, and came back with four runs of their own to knock Holt from the game. After the right-hander retired the first two hitters of the frame, he gave up three straight singles, capped by Culberson’s RBI knock to left, which forced his exit. Roy Merritt was summoned from the bullpen and promptly served up a three-run homer to Kieschnick, giving Richmond a 9-3 cushion.

Holt was hung with his sixth loss. He allowed eight runs over 3 2/3 innings. Fitzgerald departed to the win despite struggling. He allowed four earned runs on seven hits and walked five.

The Squirrels stretched the lead to 11-4 with a pair of runs off Eric Niesen in the sixth courtesy of a throwing error by centerfielder Raul Reyes and an RBI single from Kieschnick, who drove in a season-high five men.



An error led to a Binghamton run in the seventh, but the B-Mets still trailed by six entering the ninth.

Edwin Quirarte, who got the final out in the eighth, came out to finish the game. However, the B-Mets had other plans. With one out, pinch-hitter Jose Coronado started the rally with an infield single. Reyes followed with a single as well. Eric Campbell drove both men home with a two-run double to right-center. After Jean Luc Blaquiere grounded out, Valdespin clubbed his second homer of the game to bring Binghamton within two. Quirarte exited in favor of recent call-up Heath Hembree. The hard-throwing closer walked Reese Havens to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of Satin. However, Hembree caught Satin looking on strikes to end the rally and the game for his first Double-A save.

from team press release