READING DEFEATS B-METS 8-2

Reading Pulls Away From Binghamton, 8-2

BINGHAMTON, NY- The Reading Fightin Phils used a five-run fifth inning to pull away and defeat the Binghamton Mets, 8-2, Tuesday night at NYSEG Stadium. Binghamton batters struck out 14 times in the game, matching a season-high.
Reading struck first in the second as Dylan Cozens led off with a single and promptly stole second He later scored on a sacrifice fly from Andrew Pullin and the Fightin Phils led, 1-0.
The B-Mets battled back in the bottom half when Matt Oberste drove a leadoff triple to right. Victor Cruzado later knocked him in on a groundout to second and the game was tied at one.
Reading took control in the fifth by loading the bases with one out for Rhys Hoskins. Hoskins drove in a pair with a single then Pullin followed with an RBI single of his own. KC Serna later bounced a grounder to second that Phillip Evans fielded deep in the hole and threw wildly to first. The single drove in one and the error scored one more as the Fightin Phils grabbed a 6-1 lead.
That was more than enough support for Tom Eshelman, who cruised through six innings. Eshelman (4-2) picked up the win and held Binghamton to one run on six hits over six innings and struck out 11, setting a new career high.
Hoskins added to the Reading lead in the seventh on a leadoff solo home run. Binghamton got one back in the seventh when Stefan Sabol smacked a pinch-hit triple and later scored on a Derrik Gibson single. The Fightins again struck in the eighth when Christian Marrero drove a pinch-hit home run to right, making it 8-2 Reading.
Tyler Herron (2-4) was tagged with the loss after allowing six runs, five earned, on eight hits over five innings. He struck out a season-high seven but lost for the third time in as many starts.
Evans went 2-for-4 with a double and Gibson went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a walk.
Game two of the three-game set is scheduled for 6:35 PM on Tuesday. RHP Rafael Montero starts for Binghamton against RHP Tyler Viza for the Fightin Phils. The Horizons Federal Credit Union Pregame Show can be heard starting at 6:20 PM on News Radio 1290, WNBF and the Binghamton Mets channel on TuneIn.
POSTGAME NOTES: Matt Oberste tripled for the second time in as many games. Before tripling on Sunday he had not recorded any since August 29, 2015 while playing with St. Lucie against Palm Beach…Oberste recorded a hit on his birthday for the fourth straight year, he is now 4-for-15 in his career on his birthday…the B-Mets struck out 14 times, their most in a nine-inning game this year.
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

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