Toffey & Torres Take Tense Topsy-Turvy Tilt
HARTFORD, CT - Will Toffey belted a tie-breaking pinch-hit homer in the ninth and Joshua Torres stranded the bases loaded to close the Binghamton Rumble Ponies' wild 4-3 win over the Hartford Yard Goats on Tuesday night at Dunkin Donuts Park. The game featured five hit batters, four ejections, and one benches-clearing confrontation.
The fireworks on the field started in the third when Franklyn Kilome was hit by Ryan Castellani's pitch. The Rumble Ponies starter took three strides towards the mound before being ushered to first. In the bottom of the frame, the righty he hit Castellani with a pitch up and in. Home plate umpire Derek Gonzales immediately ejected Kilome from the game.
Kilome's ejection was a preamble to tensions boiling over in the top of the eighth inning. With the game tied at three, reliever Sean Nolin hit Kevin Taylor. After Taylor and Nolin exchanged heated words, Rumble Ponies manager Luis Rojas and Nolin traded barbs. The benches and bullpens cleared, but no physical altercations ensued. After the dust settled, Rojas, Taylor, and Nolin were escorted from the game.
Following those loaded moments, Toffey delivered his own in the top of the ninth. Selected off the bench by fill-in manager Luis Rivera, Toffey roped a 1-0 pitch from Logan Cozart, narrowly clearing the right-field wall to push the Ponies ahead.
Torres almost let the one-run lead slip away in the ninth, filling the bases with a hit, a hit batter and an intentional walk. Torres battled back and coaxed a fielder's choice out of Brian Mundell before striking out Roberto Ramos to end the game.
Torres' finish capped a strong night from Binghamton's bullpen. Following Kilome's early exit Adam Atkins took over for his Double-A debut. The righty closed the third and left two aboard in each of the fourth and fifth innings. Stephen Villines was touched for two runs over two frames before Ryder Ryan worked a scoreless eighth.
The Rumble Ponies had relied on the long ball to get on the board against Castellani. In the second, Jhoan Urena belted a two-run homer to right, his fourth longball in six at-bats. Joey Terdoslavich added a solo shot in the sixth, his 100th career shot in affiliated baseball.
Ryan earned the victory while Torres claimed his sixth save as the bullpen combined for 6-2/3 innings of relief.
The Rumble Ponies (63-71) continue their four-game series against the Yard Goats on Wednesday at 7:05 PM. RHP Justin Dunn gets the ball for Binghamton. The Horizons Federal Credit Union pregame show starts at 6:50 PM and can be heard on NewsRadio 1290 AM WNBF and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies channel on TuneIn.
POSTGAME NOTES: Will Toffey's blast was the first pinch-hit homer by a Binghamton player since Matt Oberste went deep on June 10, 2007 against Harrisburg…Jhoan Urena's homer was his sixth on the road trip and sixth in ten games at Dunkin Donuts Park this season…reliever Adam Atkins collected a hit in his first pro plate appearance, reaching on an infield single in the fifth