Ponies Score Twice in Ninth to Knock Off Goats in Back-And-Forth Affair in Hartford
HARTFORD, CT – The Binghamton Rumble Ponies (6-7) erased two deficits and scored two runs in the ninth to knock off the Hartford Yard Goats 5-4 on Friday night at Dunkin’ Park. The Ponies have won three of the first four games in the series and six of their last
HARTFORD, CT – The Binghamton Rumble Ponies (6-7) erased two deficits and scored two runs in the ninth to knock off the Hartford Yard Goats 5-4 on Friday night at Dunkin’ Park. The Ponies have won three of the first four games in the series and six of their last nine overall.
Down 4-3 in the top of the ninth, Wyatt Young led off with a single. The next batter was Matt Rudick and he hit a fly ball directly at the right fielder Niko Decolati who could not make the catch, which allowed Young to advance to third and Rudick to get to second.
After a groundout from JT Schwartz, Jose Peroza came through with one out in the ninth, as he ripped a game-tying RBI single into right field that scored Young. Brandon McIlwain came up next and smashed a go-ahead RBI double into left field, which gave the Ponies a 5-4 lead.
Nate Lavender came into the game in the ninth and threw seven pitches in a perfect frame, with two strikeouts to cement the victory and pick up his second save of the series and third of the year.
Earlier with Hartford (6-7) up 2-1 in the seventh, Schwartz clobbered a go-ahead two-run home run into the second deck in right field to give Binghamton a 3-2 lead. It was his second home run of the series and of the season. Schwartz now has 15 RBIs, which leads the Eastern League.
Lavender’s outing came on the heels of an all-around strong effort from the Ponies’ pitching staff in the win. Junior Santos allowed two runs over his first six innings, before giving up a two-run home run to Warming Bernabel in the seventh. Marcel Rentería, William Woods, and Lavender each threw a scoreless frame in relief.
The Rumble Ponies will travel to face the Hartford Yard Goats at Dunkin’ Park on Saturday night, with Mike Vasil on the mound. First pitch is at 6:10 PM with pregame coverage getting underway at 5:50 PM on the WNBF Rumble Ponies Radio Network.
Postgame Notes: Binghamton tied a season high with 13 hits…The first five hitters in the batting order –– Young, Rudick, Schwartz, Peroza, and McIlwain –– each recorded multi-hit games.