CURVE ROLL PAST PONIES

By George! Curve Roll Past Rumble Ponies

ALTOONA, PA – Altoona outfielder Jordan George collected four hits and drove in five runs to help the Curve down the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, 10-2, on Saturday night at Peoples Natural Gas Field. Ponies starter Justin Dunn allowed a career-high ten hits and had his four-start winning streak snapped.

The Curve wasted little time jumping on Dunn, scoring a run on three straight two-out hits in the first inning. After the Rumble Ponies tied the game with a run in the second, Altoona starter Eduardo Vera pushed the Curve ahead for good with an RBI hit in the bottom of the inning.

Altoona continued their attack against Dunn in the third, and George delivered. After the first two batters reached, the Curve left fielder pulled an RBI single into right. Altoona tacked on with a pair of sacrifice flies. In the fourth, George yanked a two-run single into right, kicking Altoona’s lead to a half-dozen runs. George added another two-run hit in the eighth against Joe Zanghi.

Offensively, the Ponies failed to break through with a big hit against Vera. Binghamton racked up seven hits and three walks versus the righty, but scratched out only two runs, stranding a runner on third base in three of Vera’s first five innings. Binghamton loaded the bases against him in the sixth, but reliever Geoff Hartlieb retired pinch-hitter Andrew Ely to end the threat.

Binghamton shortstop Andres Gimenez produced his first Double-A three-hit game. The Rumble Ponies shortstop singled in the first, doubled in the third and provided an RBI single in the fifth. Patrick Biondi reached base three times, including a run-producing single in the second.

Dunn (5-3) was touched for seven runs over five innings, matching his shortest outing as a Rumble Pony. He suffered his first loss since June 22.

The Rumble Ponies (49-56) conclude their four-game series against Altoona on Sunday at 2:00 PM. RHP Franklyn Kilome makes his Mets organizational debut against RHP Luis Escobar. The Horizons Federal Credit Union pregame show starts at 1:45 PM and can be heard on NewsRadio 1290 AM WNBF and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies channel on TuneIn.

POSTGAME NOTES: Levi Michael, Binghamton’s leader in several offensive categories, was promoted to Las Vegas (AAA) prior to the game...the Ponies are winless in the game after each of their last eight victories; Binghamton has not won back-to-back games since July 3 & 4…the Ponies went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position