Late Rally Falls Short in 6-5 Loss

ALTOONA, PA -The Binghamton Mets stranded the potential tying run on second base and watched their ninth-inning rally fall a run short in a 6-5 loss to the Altoona Curve on Wednesday night at Peoples Natural Gas Field. The B-Mets lost an early two-run lead and stranded five men, including two in the ninth, over the final three innings.

Binghamton jumped on the board with a string of hits to open the second against Joely Rodriguez. Jayce Boyd started with a single up the middle, took second on a passed ball and came home on Dustin Lawley's line-drive double down the right-field line. Lawley advanced to third on Darrell Ceciliani's chopper to first and scampered home when Matt Curry forced an errant throw to Rodriguez covering the bag.

Altoona struck back with their own stretch of consecutive hits in the bottom of the inning. After a single by Justin Howard and a double by Willy Garcia, Matt Curry lifted a fly ball to the left-field wall. Kyle Johnson jumped to keep the ball in play, but had it kick off his glove for a double, allowing Howard to score the Curve's first run. Robles limited the damage to a single run by striking out the final two hitters in the frame.

Robles needed just 15 pitches to cruise through third and fourth, but hit a wall in the fifth failing to register the final out of the inning. With runners at the corners and two outs, Alen Hanson ripped a two-run triple to centerfield, giving the Curve their first lead. Following a walk, Elias Diaz deposited a two-run double to the righty-field alley, kicking the advantage to three.

After Rodriguez capped his night with a scoreless sixth, Binghamton used a two-out rally against Emmanuel de Leon to get back in the game. Nelfi Zapata started the push with a pinch-hit double to center. Kyle Johnson brought him home with a bloop single to left. Johnson came home three batters later when Kevin Plawecki was plunked with the bases loaded. de Leon preserved the lead and stranded the bases loaded by inducing Jayce Boyd to bounce into a fielder's choice to end the inning.

The Curve doubled their lead with an insurance run in the eighth off Cody Satterwhite. With a man aboard, Brian Burgamy charged a slow roller, but fired wide of first, putting runners at the corners. Willy Garcia came through with a sac fly to right field, making it a 6-4 game.

The run proved to be vital as Binghamton compiled another rally in the ninth against Quinton Miller. Matt Clark opened the frame with a walk and Johnson followed with a single. Reynolds capped a four-hit game by ripping an RBI single to left, cutting the deficit to one. Miller bounced back and retired Plawecki on a fly out before fanning pinch-hitter Rylan Sandoval looking to end the game.

Robles (3-3) allowed five runs on seven hits while striking out six over 4-2/3 innings in his second loss to the Curve. Rodriguez (3-4) surrendered two runs on six hits over six innings in the win. Miller collected his second save.

The B-Mets (31-26) conclude their three-game series against the Curve on Thursday night at 7:00 PM. LHP Angel Cuan toes the rubber against RHP Adrian Sampson. The Horizons Federal Credit Union Pregame Show, starting at 6:45 PM, can be heard on News Radio 1290 WNBF and on the Binghamton Mets Baseball Network via the TuneIn App.

POSTGAME NOTES: Dustin Lawley extended his hitting streak to a season-best eight games…Matt Reynolds is 7-for-11 in two games following a five-game absence from the lineup…three B-Mets pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts

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