B-METS SHUT OUT PORTLAND

Pill, B-Mets Shut Out Portland, 6-0

BINGHAMTON, NY – Tyler Pill fanned seven over eight shutout innings and the Binghamton Mets blanked the Portland Sea Dogs 6-0 Wednesday night at NYSEG Stadium. It was the B-Mets fourth straight win and it completed a three-game sweep of the Sea Dogs.
The majority of Binghamton’s offense came in the first inning. Derrick Gibson led off with a double scored in the ensuing at bat. Kyle Johnson bounced a grounder that went between Portland second baseman Wendell Rijo’s legs. Gibson sprinted home from second and scored the first run of the game.
Niuman Romero then walked and Dom Smith followed with an RBI single, scoring Johnson. Three batters later, L.J. Mazzilli doubled to left, allowing Romero and Smith to score for a 4-0 Binghamton lead.
Meanwhile, Pill was cruising. He retired 19 of the last 21 that he faced, a period stretching from the second to the eighth inning. Pill improved to 1-2 after allowing only four hits and a walk over his eight innings.
In the bottom of the fifth, Smith led off with a single then scored on a Victor Cruzado double, pushing the lead to 5-0. One more crossed in the eighth as L.J. Mazzilli slapped a one-out single. He took second on a passed ball, advanced to third on an error and come in to score on a Maikis De La Cruz fielder’s choice. The unearned run made the score 6-0.
Kelly Secrest worked a scoreless ninth to shut the door and preserve the Binghamton win. Ty Buttrey (0-4) took the loss after lasting just 2-2/3 innings with four runs, one earned, allowed on four hits.
Gibson went 2-for-3 with two walks and a run, Mazzilli was 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run and Smith finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs, extending his hitting streak to seven games.
Binghamton will take Thursday off before embarking upon a seven-game road trip, beginning on Friday at 6:35 P.M. in New Hampshire against the Fisher Cats. RHP Rainy Lara will start the first of the three-game series against RHP Jason Berken. The Horizons Federal Credit Union Pregame Show can be heard starting at 6:20 P.M. on Newsradio 1290 WNBF and the Binghamton Mets channel on TuneIn.
POSTGAME NOTES: Binghamton’s four-game winning streak is its longest of the season…Victor Cruzado and L.J. Mazzilli each recorded their first doubles of the season…Pill’s eight innings represented the longest start for a B-Mets pitcher in 2016.
Season tickets and mini packs are on sale now and may be purchased in person at NYSEG Stadium or by visiting www.bmets.com or calling (607) 723-METS.
Be sure to follow the B-Mets on Facebook, Twitter and at the team’s official website (www.bmets.com) for more team information. Fans can also stay up to date with all the action on the field by visiting “B-Mets Buzz with Tim Heiman” at bmets.mlblogs.com