McLean Draws Walk-Off Walk, Sproat Dominates in Ponies’ Win Over Harrisburg
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – In the bottom of the 11th inning, Nolan McLean drew a walk-off walk and Brandon Sproat shined in his start on the mound, as the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (26-23) defeated the Harrisburg Senators, 3-2, in the series finale at Mirabito Stadium on Sunday. The two teams split
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – In the bottom of the 11th inning, Nolan McLean drew a walk-off walk and Brandon Sproat shined in his start on the mound, as the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (26-23) defeated the Harrisburg Senators, 3-2, in the series finale at Mirabito Stadium on Sunday. The two teams split the six-game series.
Sproat struck out a career-high 10 batters over seven scoreless frames and allowed just one hit and one walk. Sproat struck out the first five batters he faced and faced the minimum over his first six innings. He has spun a career-high seven innings in three-straight starts. Sproat lowered his season ERA to 1.23, across High-A and Double-A, which is tied for the third-best in Minor League Baseball.
With the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the 11th, Omar De Los Santos pinch-ran as the automatic runner at second base. Alex Ramírez led off with a single that moved De Los Santos to third. Harrisburg (30-21) then intentionally walked Ryan Clifford to load up the bases. McLean stepped up against Holden Powell (1-2) and drew a five-pitch game-winning RBI walk.
Binghamton got on the board in the second inning when Clifford belted a solo homer that made it 1-0. It marked Clifford’s second Double-A home run.
The Senators tied the game with a solo homer from Dérmis Garcia in the top of the eighth. The Ponies grabbed the lead back in the bottom of the eighth when Matt Rudick scored on a wild pitch that made it 2-1. In the ninth, Garcia drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game at 2-2.
Carlos Guzman (1-1) earned the victory and pitched two perfect innings with two strikeouts in the 10th and 11th, stranding both inherited automatic runners on base, which set up Binghamton to win the game in the 11th.
The Rumble Ponies will begin a six-game series with the Bowie Baysox (Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles) at Prince George’s Stadium on Tuesday night. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on WNBF News Radio 1290 & 92.1 FM.
Postgame Notes: New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez continued his rehab assignment with Binghamton and caught seven innings, while going 1-for-3 at the plate with a single…Ramírez recorded his team-leading 12th multi-hit game and extended his hitting streak to three games…Clifford reached base three times with a solo homer and two intentional walks…McLean doubled in the seventh inning and extended his hitting streak to three games…It marked Binghamton’s second walk-off victory of the season and the Ponies are now 4-2 in extra innings.