Brusa Leads Squirrels to Saturday Night Win over Ponies

Binghamton, NY – The Rumble Ponies (2-2, 36-31) fell to the Richmond Flying Squirrels 4-2 in the second game of their three-game series at NYSEG Stadium Saturday evening. The Ponies have now dropped five straight games at home. Ponies catcher Ali Sanchez did extend his season-high hitting streak to 12 games with a single in the first.

Richmond (3-1, 26-45) got on the board in the first with a two-out, two-run home run from Gio Brusa. It was Brusa’s second homer in as many games. The Flying Squirrels expanded their lead in the top of the sixth. Jonah Arenado reached on an error to start the inning. After a flyout from Zach Houchins, Brusa delivered again; this time with an RBI double to the left-center gap. Will Maddox drove him in with a base hit as Brusa finished with three RBI.

The Ponies answered in their half of the sixth. Quinn Brodey began the inning with a single. After Sanchez flew out, Patrick Mazeika drilled a two-run homer to right. He now has a team-high seven roundtrippers. Later in the inning, David Thompson and Jason Krizan notched consecutive base hits but were left stranded. The Rumble Ponies left 11 runners on base and 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position.

Andrew Church (0-1) took the loss as he went seven innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits with one walk and six strikeouts in his first start with the Rumble Ponies this season. Alfred Gutierrez (4-3) got the win, allowing two runs on five hits over 5.1 innings. Melvin Adon picked up his ninth save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Rumble Ponies wrap up their series with the Flying Squirrels Sunday afternoon with first pitch at 2:05PM on Newsradio 1290 WNBF and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies channel on TuneIn. The Horizons Federal Credit Union Pregame show begins at 1:50PM.

POSTGAME NOTES: The Ponies are now 10-19 at home this season… Richmond clinched its first series win against Binghamton this year …Sanchez 12-game hitting streak is the second-longest on the team this year (Patrick Mazeika had a 15-game hit streak from 4/27 to 5/16). Three Rumble Ponies had multi-hit games (Brodey, Sanchez and Thompson each tallied two hits).