PONIES LOSE TO CURVE 9-2

Eduardo’s ‘Vera’ Good Start Silences Binghamton Bats

BINGHAMTON, NY – Altoona scored three first inning runs and never looked back on Tuesday night, capping their season series with the Rumble Ponies in an 9-2 win. The Curve complete the regular season series against Binghamton with an eight games to one advantage, winning all five in the Southern Tier. Altoona, for the second straight night, never trailed.

Harol Gonzalez failed to garner his first Double-A win, in his seventh Eastern League start. The 23-year-old right hander allowed three runs on four hits in the first inning, permitting seven Curve to see the plate. Will Craig continued his onslaught in Binghamton, doubling in Stephen Alemais for the first run. Jin-de Jhang capped a stretch of four straight hits against Gonzalez, singling in a pair to make it 3-0. A fifth straight Curve reached when Logan Hill worked a walk, but Gonzalez was bailed out by a line-drive double play to end the frame.

Binghamton was unable to counter until the second inning when Tomas Nido delivered a solo home run off of Eduardo Vera. Trailing 4-0, the Ponies received a leadoff longball from their catcher, his fifth of the season. 

Gonzalez (0-7) settled in after allowing four runs in the first two innings. Altoona managed just three hits against the Double-A rookie after the three-run first inning. One of those knocks was a solo blast from Logan Hill. His fourth-inning leadoff home run pushed the Curve lead to 5-1. Gonzalez worked through seven innings, his longest start as a Rumble Pony. He gave up five runs (four earned) with three strikeouts. 

Vera (7-3) limited the Binghamton bats to three hits across seven innings. He struck out seven Rumble Ponies and issued just one walk. The righty is (6-0) over his last eight starts. 

The Curve caucus continued in the eighth inning against Rumble Ponies reliever Joe Zahngi. Altoona plated three runs on four hits in the frame, sending eight batters to the plate and pushing their lead to 8-1. Stephen Villines pitched the ninth and allowed a solo home run to Bryan Reynolds. The blast, his seventh of the season, finished a 4-for-5 night for the Curve centerfielder. 

Scooter Hightower pitched a scoreless eighth, while Yeudy Garcia allowed one ninth-inning run, a Tomas Nido RBI double. 

Binghamton (60-67) heads for their final road trip of the 2018 season, a three-stop, nine-game trek starting Wednesday in Hartford. RHP Mickey Jannis is slated to become Binghamton’s all-time leader in starts when he toes the rubber for the series-opener - he’ll battle Yard Goat RHP Frank Duncan. First pitch at Dunkin Donuts Park is scheduled for 7:05 PM. The Horizons Federal Credit Union pregame show starts at 6:50 PM and can be heard on NewsRadio 1290 WNBF and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies channel on TuneIn.

POSTGAME NOTES: Rumble Ponies have hit a home run in six straight games…Binghamton pitching has allowed a home run in five straight games…Joey Terdoslavich has a hit in six straight games…Harol Gonzalez has lost his first seven Double-A starts…