Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (31-44/46-29)
NO GAME (SCHEDULE)
Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (45-22*/45-24*)
EASTERN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES, GAME ONE
EASTERN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES, GAME TWO
EASTERN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES, GAME ONE
BINGHAMTON 5, ERIE 4 (BOX)
Down in the best-of-three series and having their backs against the wall, Reid Brignac turned to Will Watson to keep the Ponies’ hopes alive for another day. The right-hander was uncharacteristically shaky, and Brignac pulled him early after putting runners on the corners to start out the bottom of the third thanks to a RBI double,
wild pitch, and walk. Binghamton had taken the lead in the top of the inning on a Jacob Reimer double and the manager was intent on making it stand, but Felipe De La Cruz quickly allowed the runner on third to score, tying things up a 1-1. In the sixth, the left-hander allowed a solo homer off the bat of DH Thayron Lirizano, putting Binghamton behind for the first time in the ballgame.
In the top of the seventh, Chris Suero and JT Schwartz led off the inning with back-to-back walks, and now we were cooking. Matt Rudick flied out to make the first out of the inning but William Lugo then walked, loading the bases up. Wyatt Young drew another walk to tie the game at 2-2, A.J. Ewing singled to make it 3-2, and after Nick Morabito struck out, Reimer fisted a ball bearing in on him into center for a double, plating two more runs. All in all, Binghamton sent 9 batters to the plate and scored four runs.
Ryan Lambert was brought in to pitch the seventh inning and was also uncharacteristically shaky, as 4 of the 5 first batters he faced reached base. A double, walk, flyout, single, and wild pitch later, and Erie was right back in it, 5-4. With Thayron Lirizano up at the plate, Lambert threw a cutter down-and-in to the switch-hitter-batting-left which sawed his bat and induced a weak groundball to first that was converted into a 3-6-3 double play.
Binghamton led off the top of the eighth with back-to-back singles, but a bunt pop-up and a double play quickly ended the chance for the Ponies to give themselves some breathing room. Ben Simon was brought in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and retired the bottom of the SeaWolves lineup in order 1-2-3. In the bottom of the ninth, he faced the top of the Erie order and induced a pair of fly outs- the first of which was a wall scraper that Nick Morabito leaped and caught at the wall- and a ground ball to end things and force a decisive Game Three tonight.
- CF A.J. Ewing: 1-5, RBI, K
- LF Nick Morabito: 0-4, BB, 3 K
- 3B Jacob Reimer: 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI, BB, K
- RF D’Andre Smith: 1-5
- C Chris Suero: 2-3, R, BB, SB (1), PB (1)
- 1B JT Schwartz: 1-3, R, BB, K, SB (1)
- DH Matt Rudick: 0-4
- SS William Lugo: 0-3, R, BB, K
- 2B Wyatt Young: 2-3, 2 R, RBI, BB, K
- RHP Will Watson: 2.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, WP
- LHP Felipe De La Cruz: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, W (1-0)
- RHP Ryan Lambert: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, H (1)
- RHP Ben Simon: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, S (2)
High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (46-20*/26-39)
SOUTH ATLANTIC LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES, GAME ONE
SOUTH ATLANTIC LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES, GAME TWO
SOUTH ATLANTIC LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES, GAME ONE
SOUTH ATLANTIC LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES, GAME TWO
FLORIDA STATE LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES, GAME ONE
Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (34-31*/43-22*)
FLORIDA STATE LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES, GAME TWO
FLORIDA STATE LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES, GAME THREE
NO GAME (SEASON OVER)
Rookie: FCL Mets (24-28)
NO GAME (SEASON OVER)
STAR OF THE NIGHT
Ben Simon
GOAT OF THE NIGHT
None; Let’s Go Ponies!