PONIES SNAP SKID

Ponies Prayers Answered by Church in Skid-Snapper

PORTLAND, ME – Binghamton starter Andrew Church blanked the Portland Sea Dogs into the seventh inning and helped the Rumble Ponies snap a four-game losing streak in a 5-1 win on Friday night at Hadlock Field. The Ponies collected a dozen hits, including three from Tim Tebow, to send Church to his first career Double-A win.

Pitching for the first time since April 30, Church zipped through his first three innings with ease, needing only 42 pitches and scattering a pair of singles. Portland put two aboard with two outs in the fourth, but the righty from Las Vegas struck out Luke Tendler to strand the pair. He worked a perfect fifth and coaxed an inning-ending double play out of Cole Sturgeon to erase a leadoff walk in the sixth.

Binghamton cracked the scoreboard in the fifth against Portland starter Kyle Hart. After the Ponies filled the bases on a single, a walk, and hit batter, Patrick Mazeika walked to force in Levi Michael with the game’s first run. The Rumble Ponies’ catcher struck again in the seventh, ripping an RBI single to right against reliever Trey Ball.

The Rumble Ponies salted the game away with a three-run eighth. With the bases full, Jeff McNeil pelted the right-field wall with a double. The two-bagger, his eighth of the season, extended his hitting streak to ten games and have Binghamton a 5-0 lead.

Church (1-4) spread out four singles over 6-1/3 innings to earn his first career Double-A victory. He struck out six and walked only one. Southpaw Daniel Zamora took over for Church in the seventh and retired a pair of left-handed hitters. Joshua Torres was touched for a run in the eighth before Tyler Bashlor worked a scoreless ninth.

Hart (1-3) allowed one run on five hits over six innings in the loss.

The Rumble Ponies (15-17) continue their five-game series in Portland on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 PM. RHP Nabil Crismatt takes the hill against RHP Kevin McAvoy. The Horizons Federal Credit Union pregame show starts at 12:45 PM and can be heard on NewsRadio 1290 AM and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies channel on TuneIn.

POSTGAME NOTES: Tim Tebow’s three-hit game was his first of the season…Binghamton had lost four straight games at Hadlock Field prior to the victory on Friday…Patrick Mazeika reached base in four of his five plate appearances (2 BB, 2 singles)