McHugh caps his season with Binghamton on a seven-game winning streak. The Georgia native held opponents to two runs or fewer in each of his final ten appearances, including nine starts. Binghamton has won six in a row and thirteen of their last fourteen.
In his final start of the season, McHugh kept the good times rolling. The right-hander used just nine pitches to retire the side in order in the first inning. He worked around a lead-off single from Bryan Pounds to post a scoreless second and added a perfect third inning.
Erie starter Drew Smyly handled the B-Mets with ease through four innings. After allowing a lead-off single to Matt den Dekker in the first inning, the southpaw retired the next 12 he faced.
Smyly snapped that streak when he hit Allan Dykstra to start the fifth. Mike Fisher followed Dykstra by lining a single to right field. With runners on first and second, Eric Campbell sent a broken-bat chopper to third base. Bryan Pounds fired to second for one out, but Brandon Douglas’ relay to first was off-target and kicked away from Rawley Bishop. Dykstra scored from second standing up to give the B-Mets a 1-0 lead.
Given a one-run lead, McHugh picked up where he left off. He allowed a hit in each of the fourth and fifth innings, but used four strike outs to post a pair of shutout innings.
After hurling a perfect sixth, McHugh hit a rough patch in the seventh. Douglas led off the frame by shooting a double down the right field line. McHugh added another runner when he walked the next batter in Pounds.
Rawley Bishop followed by pushing a bunt up the third base line. Mike Fisher charged and fielded cleanly, but his throw to first was off the mark and kicked away from Campbell. The error allowed Douglas to score from second to tie the game. McHugh managed to escape a bases-loaded jam later in the inning by fanning Brent Wyatt and inducing Shawn Roof to ground out to second.
Binghamton yet again used the long ball as a quick rebuttal. Kai Gronauer led off the eighth inning by crushing a 1-0 offering from Smyly over the left field fence. The blast, Gronauer’s fourth of the year, gave Binghamton a 2-1 lead.
McHugh shook off his rough seventh inning and never looked back. The right-hander retired the final eight he faced to finish the first complete game victory of the year for any B-Met starter. McHugh collected his seventh-straight win and Smyly suffered his third loss.
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