PONIES LOSE TO ALTOONA 8-7

Reynolds Puts a Wrap on See-Saw Battle

ALTOONA, PA – Altoona Curve outfielder Bryan Reynolds blasted a walk-off, three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to hand the Binghamton Rumble Ponies a stunning 8-7 defeat at Peoples Natural Gas Field on Thursday night. Despite racking up 15 hits, the Rumble Ponies failed to protect three separate leads and suffered their eighth walk-off loss of the season. The lead changed hands five times in the series opener.

Owning a two-run lead entering the decisive half-inning, Binghamton watched reliever Ryder Ryan plunk Tyler Gaffney and walk Cole Tucker. With the Curve down to their final out, Reynolds deposited Ryan’s 0-1 pitch over the wall in right-field.

Binghamton had grabbed the lead thanks to a late push against Curve reliever Nick Burdi. In the seventh, Andres Gimenez broke a 4-4 game by zipping a two-run single up the middle. After Will Craig launched a solo homer in the eighth off Ryan, Patrick Biondi extended the Rumble Ponies lead, and capped a personal four-hit game, by pulling an RBI single into right.

The Rumble Ponies’ rocky finish overshadowed a strong night at the plate. All eight starting position players recorded at least one hit, while four Ponies compiled multiple-hit games. Levi Michael went 3-for-4, extended his hitting streak to ten games, and raised his batting average to .310.

Reynolds’ blast was the culminating shot of a see-saw affair in which each team held the lead on at least two separate occasions.

Biondi put Binghamton on the board with a RBI single against Austin Coley in the fourth, but Curve catcher Christian Kelley responded with a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the frame. After the Ponies plated two in the fifth and chased Coley from the game, Altoona answered with single tallies in the fifth and sixth. Binghamton tied the game at four with a run-producing double play from Tomas Nido in the seventh.

Ponies starter Scott Copeland allowed four runs on nine hits over seven innings of work. The Rumble Ponies righty issued one walk and struck out six. He collected a dozen groundouts and needed no putouts from his outfielders.

Ryan (1-1) suffered his second blown save of the season while Garcia (2-4) earned the victory.

The Rumble Ponies (48-55) continue their only visit to Altoona on Friday at 7:05 PM. RHP Mickey Janis takes the mound against RHP Taylor Hearn. The Horizons Federal Credit Union pregame show starts at 6:45 PM and can be heard on NewsRadio 1290 AM WNBF and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies channel on TuneIn.

POSTGAME NOTES: Two of Bryan Reynolds’ four home runs this season have been hit against Binghamton; Reynolds hit a grand slam off Scott Copeland on June 13 at NYSEG Stadium…the Ponies went 6-for-20 with runners in scoring position, the highest number of at-bats they have had in a nine-inning game this season…the Ponies fell via walk-off homer for the second time this season (Vladimir Guerrero Jr, New Hampshire, May 20)