De La Cruz Delivers Walk Off for Reading

BOX SCORE

(Reading, PA) - A walk off from Carlos De La Cruz gave the Reading Fightin Phils the late night win over the Binghamton Rumble Ponies 2-1. The game was delayed almost an hour and half due to heavy rain showers. It was Mick Abel and the Reading bullpen that kept the Fightin Phils in the game throughout the night.

Abel threw one of his best performances of the year. Abel went 5.0 innings striking out five Binghamton batters and walking three. Abel allowed only a hit on a solo home run to Jose Peroza.

Abel had previously struggled to get out of the gate this season. Although he has struck out 48 batters in his 9 outings this season, he has struggled with command walking 24. Friday night looked like a step in the right direction. While walking three Rumble Ponies, Abel escaped with no minimum damage done. Abel took back control of the game after early misses, leaving Binghamton struggling to get runners in scoring position.

Binghamton got on the board early in the second inning. Jose Peroza cracked the code on Abel and homered to left center field. Peroza has hit seven home runs on the season. This would be the first and only hit Abel would allow for the rest of the game. The Rumble Ponies struggled to get anything going off of the Phillies number-two prospect.

The Fightin Phils responded back in the bottom of the third. McCarthy Tatum started off with a single just over second baseman's Rowdy Jordan's glove. Cody Roberts followed to get to first with a walk. Madison Stokes would hit into a force out getting Tatum out at third and having runners at first and second. Carlos De La Cruz would be up next and keep his hot streak going in a big way. An RBI single scored Roberts to tie the game up at 1-1. This extended De La Cruz hit streak to 15 games, while also extending his on base streak to 24.

The Reading bullpen kept the momentum going after Abel was taken out in the fifth. Through the next four innings, Reading relief pitchers allowed only one hit.

Cristian Hernandez was the first to come out of the pen for Reading. Hernandez threw two strong innings, allowing one hit and striking out two. Hernandez is second on the team with an ERA of 2.55.

Keylan Killgore came in for relief for Hernandez in the eighth. Killgore only pitched 0.2 of an inning. Tyler McKay came in to close out of the inning, and pitch through the rest of the ninth and ninth innings.

McKay found himself in trouble in the tenth. A single by Suozzi would move the runner Augustin Ruiz to third. Suozzi would later steal second. McKay did not let this rattle him. McKay struck out the next batter Matt O’Neil and got a ground out from Wyatt Young. Although it was the speed of Johan Rojas that saved the day for McKay to get Reading out of the inning. Rojas chased down a long fly ball to make a spectacular play to end the inning for Reading.

Reading did not let that opportunity go to waste. With Nick Podkul starting on second base, McCarthy Tatum would single to move him to third. A pop out from Roberts and hard hit line out from Madison Stokes left the Fightin Phils with two runners on with two outs. It was De La Cruz time to shine once again. A single to left scored Podkul and gave Reading another walk off win 2-1 in ten innings.

Tyler McKay earned the win for Reading to improve to 2-2 this season, while Daniel Suarez suffered the loss to fall to 0-1 on the year. Reading improves to 21-32 with the win and Binghamton drops to 25-28 with the loss.

Reading and Binghamton continues this week's six-game homestand with game four and five Saturday night starting at 5:15 p.m. RHP Griff McGarry is scheduled to pitch game one for Reading and LHP David Parkinson will get the ball for game two. For Binghamton, RHP Dom Hamel will start game one and RHP Mike Vasil will pitch game two of the doubleheader. The second game of Saturday's doubleheader will feature the R-Phils playing as Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, followed by a Carpenter MEGA Blast Fireworks Show, the largest in stadium history. Sunday will include a Reading Hotdogs pennant giveaway to kids. Tickets to all games are available at rphils.com/tickets, by calling 610-370-BALL or in-person at the Customers Bank Ticket Office.

The 2023 R-Phils season is presented by Pepsi. Follow the Fightin Phils on Twitter @ReadingFightins, like us on Facebook or follow us on Instagram @Fightins.