RUMBLE PONIES WIN 2-1

Jannis Jukes SeaWolves in Gem, 2-1

ERIE, PA – Mickey Jannis tossed seven scoreless innings and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies held off a late push from the Erie SeaWolves in a 2-1 victory on Sunday afternoon at UPMC Park. Corey Taylor left the bases loaded in the ninth to clinch his first career Double-A save and secure the series victory.
Jannis’ third start of the season opened inauspiciously with a four-pitch walk to Logan Watkins. Aided by two stellar plays at second base by Luis Guillorme, Jannis kept the SeaWolves off the board. Guillorme made a diving stop up the middle to rob Jeff McVaney of a hit before snaring Mike Gerber’s liner with a full-extension dive to his right.
In the second, Jannis allowed a leadoff single before settling in. The knuckleballer retired 17 of the next 19 SeaWolves he faced, including nine straight from the second through the fourth. In the seventh, Jannis’ final inning, Erie put two in scoring position with one out, but failed to score.
The Rumble Pony offense supported Jannis with two runs in the second. Following a two-out walk to Patrick Biondi, Colton Plaia and Guillorme flipped consecutive RBI singles into center against Erie starter Anthony Vasquez.
In the ninth, Chistin Stewart capped an eleven-pitch battle against Taylor by dumping at RBI single into center. Dominic Ficociello followed by crushing a 1-2 pitch into center. The drive bounced over the fence for a ground-rule double, forcing Stewart to stop at third base as the potential game-tying run. Taylor took advantage of the fortunate break and recorded the final two outs to notch the Rumble Ponies’ second one-run win of the season.
Jannis (2-0) allowed three hits and struck out two to earn his second straight victory. Vasquez (2-1) was touched for two runs on seven hits in six innings in his first loss as a SeaWolf.
The Rumble Ponies (7-7) open a three-game series in Akron against the RubberDucks on Monday at 6:35 PM. LHP PJ Conlon bids for his third win of the season against RHP Julian Merryweather. The Horizons Federal Credit Union Pregame Show can be heard starting a 6:20 PM on NewsRadio 1290 AM WNBF and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies channel on TuneIn.
POSTGAME NOTES: Luis Guillorme collected nine assists and two putouts in his fourth appearance this season at second base…Mickey Jannis won consecutive starts for the second time with Binghamton (June 24 & 29, 2016)…Alberto Baldonado fired a perfect eighth inning, extending his scoreless streak to five games (8.0 IP)
Rumble Ponies fans can purchase tickets for any remaining home game at the NYSEG Stadium box office, online www.bingrp.com and over the phone at (607) 722-FUNN.