PONIES SPLIT WITH MANCHESTER

Sergakis’ Shot Secures Split for Ponies

MANCHESTER, NH – Infielder Nick Sergakis launched a tiebreaking three-run homer to send the Rumble Ponies to a nightcap victory after Binghamton lost in walk-off fashion to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in the doubleheader opener on Friday night at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.

Game 1 – Fisher Cats 3, Rumble Ponies 2

Jeff McNeil led the offensive charge for the Rumble Ponies in the opener. With Levi Michael on second in the first inning, McNeil threaded an RBI single into right field, extending his hitting streak to a league-best 17 games.

New Hampshire responded with a run against Binghamton starter Marcos Molina in the first and grabbed the lead on a two-out RBI single by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the fifth.

McNeil struck back in Binghamton’s next turn at the plate. With two outs in the sixth, McNeil launched Sean Reid-Foley’s 2-0 offering over the right-field wall, extending his home run streak to four games. The blast, McNeil’s eleventh of the season and fifth in his last six games, tied the game at two.

Building off a placed a runner on second to start the extra eighth inning, the Rumble Ponies put runners at the corners with no outs, but failed to push a run across. Kirby Snead retired Kevin Taylor to strand the bases loaded.

New Hampshire used a two-out rally in the eighth to claim their second walk-off win this season. With runners at second and third, Max Pentecost lined a single to center, plating Cavan Biggio from third with the game-winning run.

Molina allowed two runs on seven hits over six innings in the no-decision. He walked two and struck out six. Taylor (0-1) was touched with his first loss of the season.

Game 2 – Rumble Ponies 6, Fisher Cats 3

The Rumble Ponies drew first blood in the nightcap, pushing a pair of runs across in the fourth against Fisher Cats starter TJ Zeuch. John Mora bounced an RBI single up the middle and Matt Oberste added another run-producing single to left.

Binghamton starter Scott Copeland stranded six runners in his first four scoreless innings, but his luck ran out in the fifth. After filling the bases by hitting a batter and walking two, Copeland allowed a three-run double to Harold Ramirez. The bases-clearing two-bagger put New Hampshire up by a run.

The Rumble Ponies answered back in the top of the sixth. With runners at the corners and two outs, Oberste threaded a game-tying single up the middle and chased Zeuch from the game. Nick Sergakis greeted reliever Zach Jackson by blasting a three-run homer over the wall in left-center. Sergakis’ second homer in three days gave the Ponies a three-run lead.

Joshua Torres and Daniel Zamora combined to post a scoreless sixth. Eric Hanhold allowed two to reach in the seventh, but kept the Fisher Cats at bay to earn his fifth save.

Copeland (2-0) allowed three runs on four hits and five walks over five innings to pick up the win.

The Rumble Ponies (20-19) continue their series in Manchester on Saturday night at 6:35 PM. RHP Mickey Jannis takes the mound against RHP Jon Harris. The Horizons Federal Credit Union pregame show starts at 6:20 PM and can be heard on NewsRadio 1290 AM and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies channel on TuneIn.

POSTGAME NOTES: Kevin Taylor extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a single in each game…Jeff McNeil’s 17-game hitting streak came to an end with an 0-for-4 performance in the nightcap…Binghamton has homered in eight straight games