They lost their best hitter when Michael Conforto was elevated to Citi Field, but the Binghamton Mets would not be deterred. In the longest game in franchise history, a contest that lasted 4 hours and 36 minutes, Binghamton outlasted Trenton, 2-1, in 17 innings. The win keeps the B-Mets in first place one-half game in front of Reading and one and one-half game up on Trenton.
The B-Mets got help from Trenton when pitcher Taylor Dugas walked both Josh Rodriguez and Brock Peterson then hit Brandon Nimmo to open the visitor’s 17th. Joe Benton’s line drive single would be the game winner plating Rodriguez with the decisive run.
Brock Peterson’s second inning home run was Binghamton’s only other run of the evening.
B-Met manager Pedro Lopez saved his closer until the 17th, and Jon Velasquez nailed down his 15th save in 16 chances. Velasquez struck out two in Trenton’s final at bat. Velasquez was the seventh Binghamton pitcher to work in the contest.
Robert Gsellman turned in a strong outing for the B-Mets logging 7.1 innings and allowing the only Trenton run on 4 hits while striking out 2 and walking 1. Josh Smoker, Paul Sewald, Matt Koch, Adam Kolarek, Beck Wheeler and Velasquez all had scoreless outings for Binghamton in relief.
Wheeler escaped serious trouble in the home sixteenth before picking up his fifth win of the season against just one loss. Danny Oh singled to lead off the inning. With one out Tony Renda doubled to centerfield sending Oh, the winning run, to third. Lopez choose to walk Mark Payton intentionally, a sound move as proven after Wheeler fanned Ali Castillo and Francisco Arcia to get out of the inning.
Binghamton would manage only 6 hits but with the B-Mets’ excellent pitching it would be all they would need. Nimmo had a two hit game for the winners.
