The SeaWolves squandered an early lead on Monday night at NYSEG Stadium and dropped the series opener to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies 6-5. Erie jumped ahead in the top of the first inning against Rumble Ponies starter Mickey Jannis. Will Maddox singled with one out and stole second. Maddox scored
The SeaWolves squandered an early lead on Monday night at NYSEG Stadium and dropped the series opener to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies 6-5.
Erie jumped ahead in the top of the first inning against Rumble Ponies starter Mickey Jannis. Will Maddox singled with one out and stole second. Maddox scored on a two-out Blaise Salter base hit for a 1-0 lead.
The SeaWolves added to the lead in the second. Danny Woodrow doubled with one out and moved to third on an A.J. Simcox groundout. Woodrow scored on a passed ball for a 2-0 lead.
The 'Wolves went up by four runs in the top of the third. Maddox led off with his second of four singles and advanced on a Josh Lester groundout. Maddox scored on a two-out Jake Rogers base hit to make it 3-0. Troy Montgomery singled to move Rogers into scoring position and a Woodrow base hit scored Rogers to make it 4-0.
Binghamton got on the board in the last of the third against Erie starter Kyle Funkhouser. John Mora singled with one out and moved into scoring position when Levi Michael reached on an error. Jeff McNeil doubled home Mora making it 4-1. Peter Alonso then grounded a hot shot to third and on a Simcox error, Michael scored to make it 4-2. The Ponies loaded the bases on a Patrick Mazeika walk but Funkhouser battled back to strike out the next two hitters to get out of the jam.
The SeaWolves took a 5-2 lead in the top of the fifth when Rogers came up and belted a solo home run to left-center. The home run for Rogers was his first of the season.
The Ponies then rallied against the SeaWolves bullpen. Erie summoned Jeff Thompson in the last of the sixth. Jhoan Urena walked with one out and Matt Oberste doubled to bring the tying run to the plate in Tim Tebow. Tebow crushed a three-run home run to center, his fourth of the season, tying the game 5-5.
Binghamton took its first lead in the seventh against Zac Houston. Alonso walked with one out and moved to second on a Mazeika groundout. With two outs, Erie brought in Matt Hall to face left hander Kevin Taylor. Taylor singled home Alonso for a 6-5 lead, capping the comeback.
Three Binghamton relievers, Daniel Zamora, Joshua Torres and Tyler Bashlor combined to limit the SeaWolves to just two hits over the final four innings of the game and the trio struck out seven hitters. Torres (3-0) earned the win and Bashlor earned his sixth save in six changes. He is 3-for-3 in save opportunities against Erie.
Houston (0-1) took the loss for Erie allowing one run on no hits with a walk and a strikeout in 1.1 innings.
Funkhouser took a tough no-decision. He allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in five innings.
The SeaWolves and Ponies meet in the middle game of the series on Tuesday night at 6:35 p.m. Lefty Tyler Alexander (3-0, 2.70 ERA) takes the mound for Erie against RHP Joseph Shaw (0-3, 6.16 ERA).
