Yard Goats Win in 11 Innings

Final: Hartford 4, Binghamton 3 (11 innings)

WP: Dugan Darnell (3-1)

LP: Dylan Hall (0-1)

S: Adam McKillican (1)

Binghamton, NY- Zac Veen hit a sacrifice fly in the 11^th inning scoring Bret Boswell from third base as the Yard Goats battled back late to beat the Binghamton Rumble Ponies 4-3 on Thursday night at Mirabito Stadium in New York. Hartford trailed 3-1 in the 9^th inning and scored a pair of runs to tie the game on a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly by Drew Romo. Hunter Goodman blasted his Eastern League leading 10^th home run in the fourth inning. The win moved the Yard Goats ahead of Binghamton in the divisional standings.

The Rumble Ponies scored the first run in the first inning on an infield groundout. Binghamton starter and New England native Mike Vasil was tough on the mound and retired the first 11 Yard Goats batters with five strikeouts before Goodman’s rocket home run. The Mets pitching prospect allowed only four hits and no walks and registered six strikeouts while hurling a season-high eight innings. He retired the side in order five times, and departed with a 3-1 lead.

After the Yard Goats tied the game on Goodman’s homer, Binghamton took a 2-1 lead on Jose Peroza’s sac fly in the fifth inning off Hartford starter Andrew Quezada. The Rumble Ponies made it 3-1 as Agustin Ruiz cranked a solo home run in the sixth inning. Quezada pitched well in 5.2 innings and allowed just three runs on six hits before turning things over to the bullpen.

Binghamton reliever Marcel Rentaria took over for Vasil in the 9^th inning and the Yard Goats made their move. Zac Veen led off the frame with a single and advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Hunter Goodman followed with a walk and another wild pitch put Veen at third and Goodman at second. Rentaria’s third wild pitch of the inning scored Veen to make it a 3-2 game. Later in the inning, Drew Romo hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Goodman and tying the game at 3-3. The Rumble Ponies threatened in the bottom of the 9^th inning with the winning run at first base. Peroza belted a deep fly to left center field but Yard Goats outfielder Bladimir Restituyo made a tremendous leaping catch against the fence to send the game into extra innings.

The Yard Goats took their first lead at 4-3 in the 11^th inning on Zac Veen’s sacrifice fly, as Bret Boswell beat the throw home from left field on a close play at the plate. Hartford reliever Adam McKillican pitched around a one-out second and third situation in the bottom of the inning to earn his first save. Yard Goats relievers Fineas Del Bonta-Smith, Austin Kitchen, Dugan Darnell and McKillican combined to retire 16 of the final 20 batters of the game from the sixth to 11^th innings.

The Yard Goats and Rumble Ponies will play the fifth of a seven-game series on Friday night at 6:35 PM at Mirabito Stadium in New York. RHP Chris McMahon will start for the Yard Goats and Jose Chacin will pitch for Binghamton. The game can be heard on AM 1410 WPOP, FM 100.9 and the iheart radio app. The Yard Goats return home to Dunkin’ Park on Tuesday (7:10 PM), and host the Boston Red Sox affiliate, the Portland Sea Dogs. It is Portland’s only visit to Hartford this season (Tuesday-Sunday).