Ponies’ Rally Comes Up Short Against Curve in Wild Game in Altoona 

ALTOONA, PA – The Binghamton Rumble Ponies (23-24) fell to the Altoona Curve 9-8 in a wild back-and-forth affair on Thursday night at PNG Field. Altoona has taken two of the first three games of the series.

Down 9-7 heading into the ninth, the Ponies made it a one-run game on an RBI single by Matt Rudick. Later in the frame, with the bases loaded and two outs, Jose Peroza hit a sharp liner to right field, but Curve right fielder Connor Scott made a diving catch to his left to end the game.

Binghamton raced to a 3-0 lead in the second, led by a Matt O’Neill RBI single and Warren Saunders sacrifice fly to left. After Altoona scored two runs in the bottom of the second, O’Neill responded in the third with a solo shot to right. It was O’Neill’s third home run of the season and second homer in the last week. He finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored, two RBIs, and a walk.

Altoona (24-22) would take a 5-4 lead with three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Binghamton would respond again as Agustin Ruiz belted a two-run homer to right to give the Ponies back a 6-5 lead.

The Curve would then score four unanswered runs, highlighted by Matt Fraizer’s two-run single in the bottom of the sixth, which put Altoona up 9-6. Fraizer would finish with five RBIs for the game.

Rowdey Jordan reached base five times, finishing 2-for-3 with three walks. Peroza finished 3-for-5 with an RBI and a walk. Ruiz was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs.

The Rumble Ponies continue their series against the Curve on Friday night. First pitch is at 6:00 PM and the NYCM Insurance Pregame Show gets underway at 5:45 PM on the WNBF Rumble Ponies Radio Network.

Postgame Notes: The two teams combined for 17 runs and 23 hits…Senger also had two runs scored…the Curve had seven pitchers take the mound in the game.