Wheeler & Lara Tag Team in Two-Hitter, 4-1

MANCHESTER, NH - Rainy Lara and Beck Wheeler combined to twirl a two-hitter in the Binghamton Mets' 4-1 win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats on Friday night at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. The two righties teamed up for the 26th two-hitter in franchise history and the 16th nine innings in length. The B-Mets scored all their runs with two outs, highlighted by a first-inning homer by Dominic Smith, to earn their fifth straight win.

Given an early cushion, Lara cruised through his first three innings, needing just 34 pitches to mow down the first nine Fisher Cats hitters. The righty stepped around a leadoff walk in a scoreless fourth before Rowdy Tellez ended the run by belting a homer to start the fifth. The blast, on Lara's first pitch of the inning, was New Hampshire's only hit against the B-Met starter.

Lara bounced back after Tellez's long ball and retired eight of the final nine Fisher Cats he faced. The righty capped his night with a seven-pitch seventh inning, freezing Tellez looking on a breaking ball to close the perfect frame.

Offensively, Smith started Binghamton's two-out offensive magic in the first by depositing the first pitch he saw from Jason Berken beyond the left-field wall for a two-run blast. His second homer of the season, and first to the opposite field, put Binghamton on the board.

In the third, Niuman Romero laced a two-out single up the middle. Jared King scored from second, narrowly dodging the tag from Wilkin Castillo at the plate. Matt Oberste tacked onto Binghamton's lead by ripping a two-out single into center in the fifth.

With a three-run lead, Wheeler took over in the eighth and side-stepped a one-out single by KC Hobson in a scoreless frame. In the ninth, the righty struck out Dwight Smith Jr to secure his second save in as many chances.

Lara (2-2) allowed just one hit over a season-best seven innings to pick up his first win since his season debut. He faced one over the minimum, walked two and struck out three.

New Hampshire starter Jason Berken (0-4) allowed four runs on seven hits over six innings in the loss.

The B-Mets (10-9) continue their three-game series against the Fisher Cats on Saturday evening at 5:35 PM. RHP Mickey Jannis takes the hill against RHP Jeremy Gabryszwski. The Horizons Federal Credit Union Pregame Show can be heard starting at 5:20 PM on Newsradio 1290 WNBF and the Binghamton Mets channel on TuneIn.

POSTGAME NOTES: Binghamton's starting pitchers have combined for 22.1 innings in the last three games…Beck Wheeler has pitched in each of Binghamton's last three two-hitters…it was Binghamton's first two-hitter since four B-Mets combined for a seven-inning effort on April 28, 2015 against Portland…Lara went at least seven innings and allowed one hit for the first time in his career

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