4/13/15

Binghamton 6 - Akron 2



Luis Cessa fired seven scoreless innings to lead the Binghamton Mets past the Akron RubberDucks, 6-2,on Sunday afternoon at Canal Park. The right-hander struck out eight and combined with Beck Wheeler to throw Binghamton’s second two-hitter in the last three games. The B-Mets racked up 10 hits to earn their third straight win, securing a season-opening series victory.

Cessa cruised in his first start of the season. He needed just eight pitches in a perfect first and struck out the side in order in the second. In the third, he used two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 frame. The righty induced Erik Gonzalez to chop into a double play to erase a single in a shutout fourth and continued his dominance with a perfect fifth inning.

For the third consecutive game the B-Mets broke a scoreless game in the sixth inning. With one out, Brandon Nimmo blasted the first pitch he saw from Akron starter Mike Clevinger over the wall in right-center field. His solo blast snapped a personal season-opening 0-for-14 drought and gave the B-Mets a 1-0 lead.

Given a run of support, Cessa motored through his next two innings. He fanned two in the sixth and used a sparkling catch by Gilbert Gomez in center to keep Akron off the board in the seventh. The righty capped his day by retiring the final ten batters he faced.

Binghamton tacked onto their lead by hanging five runs on the Akron bullpen. Jared King delivered an RBI double and TJ Rivera added a run-producing single off Josh Martin in the eighth. Gavin Cecchini drove in two with a triple against Louis Head in the ninth. Gomez topped Binghamton’s offense with another RBI three-bagger.

Beck Wheeler took over for Cessa and started his Double-A career with a perfect eight. He issued free passes to the first two batters he faced in the ninth and paid for it. Ollie Linton snapped a 26-inning Akron scoreless stretch by driving an RBI single to right. After Todd Hankins supplied a sac fly to center, Wheeler rebounded with back-to-back strikeouts, securing his first career Double-A save.

Cessa (1-0) never allowed a runner past first and faced the minimum to earn his first career Double-A win. Clevinger (0-1) took the hard-luck loss, surrendering one run on three hits in six innings of work.

The B-Mets (3-1) open a three-game series against the SeaWolves in Erie on Monday night at 6:35 PM. RHP John Gant makes his Double-A debut against RHP Warwick Saupold. 

POSTGAME NOTES: The B-Mets pitching staff has compiled a 0.67 ERA in their last three games…the B-Mets fell one inning short of posting three straight shutout wins for the first time in franchise history…Sunday’s game marked Binghamton’s 24th two-hitter in franchise history

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