Mejia, B-Mets Cage Rock Cats, 10-2

NEW BRITAIN, CT – The Binghamton Mets matched a season-high with 15 hits and Jenrry Mejia struck out eight over six innings in a 10-2 victory over the New Britain Rock Cats on Saturday night at New Britain Stadium. Cesar Puello doubled twice and drove in three runs to lead a B-Mets offensive attack that saw every player collect at least one hit.

Mejia had a two-run cushion before he even threw his first pitch. Danny Muno got the attack against Rock Cats starter Trevor May started immediately by leading off the game with a one-hop double off the right-field wall. Puello brought him home by skipping an RBI single past Eddie Rosario at second base. After swiping second, his 22^ndstolen base of the year, Puello scored when Rhyne Hughes blistered a two-out RBI single up the middle.

Binghamton hung another crooked number on the scoreboard in the second. After surrendering a pair of singles, May fired a breaking ball to the backstop that allowed Wilfredo Tovar to score from third. Allan Dykstra lined an RBI single to right, stretching Binghamton’s lead to four.

The B-Mets took advantage of more erratic throwing and sloppy fielding in the third. Following a two-out walk to Xorge Carrillo, center-fielder Danny Ortiz prolonged the inning by dropping a fly ball. May walked Muno and bounced another wild pitch, allowing Carrillo to score.

Mejia set the tone in his second rehab appearance with the B-Mets by retiring the first eight batters he faced. The right-hander side-stepped a bunt single and a walk in a scoreless third and worked around a one-out single in a shutout fourth.
May surrendered a double and struck out two before getting pulled in the middle of the fourth inning, suffering his shortest outing as a Rock Cat. Reliever Bruce Pugh collected the final out of the frame, but struggled to find the strike zone in the fifth. Carrillo blasted a double to left-center and strolled around the bases with Binghamton’s sixth run as Pugh walked three straight batters.

The B-Mets refused to take their foot off the gas pedal against the Rock Cats bullpen. They tacked on two against Jose Gonzalez in the seventh and added two more off Matt Hauser in the ninth.

Nate Hanson put the only blemish on Mejia’s night by ripping a home run over the left-field wall to lead off the fifth inning. Mejia bounced back and retired six of seven to cap his night. Chase Huchingson took over in the seventh and allowed one on three hits over two innings of relief. Chasen Bradford closed the contest with a perfect ninth.

Mejia (2-0) surrendered just one run on three hits over six innings in the victory. May (6-6) was tagged for five runs (four earned) on seven hits and three walks in the losing effort.
The B-Mets (61-37) conclude their four-game set in New Britain on Sunday night at 6:35 PM. RHP Erik Goeddel takes the mound against LHP Pat Dean. The Horizons Federal Credit Union Pregame Show on Newsradio 1290 WNBF begins at 6:20 PM.

POSTGAME NOTES: Mejia’s eight strikeouts were the most in one game since he fanned nine as a Buffalo Bison on 8/30/10 against the Syracuse Chiefs…Darrell Ceciliani extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a single in the second inning…Binghamton sent 50 batters to the plate in nine innings…Binghamton snapped a four-game stretch of having an opponent score first
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