PONIES WALK TO VICTORY, 5-4

Ponies Walk to Victory, 5-4

BINGHAMTON, NY – The Binghamton Rumble Ponies took the three-game series from the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, behind a 5-4 win at NYSEG Stadium on Wednesday night. Binghamton’s rubber-game win comes just six days after New Hampshire nabbed the decisive third game from the Rumble Ponies in Manchester. 

Matt Oberste’s two-out bases loaded ninth-inning walk pushed home Champ Stuart, earning the Rumble Ponies their first walk-off victory of the season. The final frame rally was kickstarted by Stuart, who doubled down the left field line to snap a season-beginning 0-for-20 slump. Gunnar Heidt temporarily kept the winning-run on the base paths when his diving catch robbed Jeff McNeil of a walk-off hit. Zack Jackson (1-1) would issue three consecutive walks – two intentional – aiding Binghamton in their Wednesday night win. 

The Rumble Ponies eighth win of the season was spearheaded by starting pitcher Nabil Crismatt, who turned in another stellar start in the Southern Tier. The 23-year-old Colombian retired the first 11 Fisher Cats before allowing a fourth-inning single to Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Binghamton’s bats awoke in the bottom of the fifth to break the scoreless tie. Levi Michael started the rally by laying down a one-out bunt up the third-base line. The shortstop legged it out for an infield hit, with Tyler Moore coming to the plate. Before Moore could take a hack, Michael advanced to second on Nick Tepesch’s wild pitch. Moore followed by roping a single up the middle, plating Michael for a 1-0 lead. Moments later, with Jeff McNeil batting, Tepesch tossed another wild pitch, allowing Moore to score for a 2-0 Binghamton advantage.

Crismatt allowed just one run over his six innings – a run-scoring two-out single from Guerrero Jr. in the sixth inning. The right-hander limited the league’s top offense to three hits, while whiffing six. Crismatt has given up just one earned run in 18 innings pitched at NYSEG Stadium this season.

The Ponies’ two-run sixth inning padded their lead and gave Crismatt some breathing room. Peter Alonso began the frame by belting his fourth home run of the season. His towering shot over the left field wall puts him back in the team lead in long balls. Kevin Taylor followed in Alonso’s lead by singling, extending his hitting streak to five games. Levi Michael pushed Taylor home later in the frame on a fielders’ choice, compounded by Bo Bichette’s throwing error.

Tepesch (2-2) was yanked in the middle of Binghamton’s sixth-inning rally. He twirled 5.1 innings of four-run baseball (three earned), while walking three and whiffing five.

Parker Cantwell’s leadoff ninth-inning blast off of Tyler Bashlor brought New Hampshire within one run, and knocked Bashlor out of the game. Luis Rojas summoned Joshua Torres (1-0) from the bullpen, who coughed up back-to-back singles to Jonathan Davis and Bo Bichette, before Guerrero’s game-tying sacrifice fly. 

Binghamton (8-9) kicks off a six-game road trip on Friday night starting in Erie. RHP Mickey Jannis gets the start against RHP Spencer Turnbull with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 PM at UPMC Park. The Horizons Federal Credit Union pregame show starts at 5:50 PM and can be heard on NewsRadio 1290 WNBF and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies channel on TuneIn.

POSTGAME NOTES:The Rumble Ponies scored first for the fifth time this season and are 5-0 in those games…Levi Michael extended his hitting streak to six games, tied with Patrick Mazeika for the longest by a Rumble Pony in 2018…Tyler Bashlor allowed his first Double-A run, ending his scoreless streak at 23.0 innings…It’s the first series New Hampshire has lost this season