Senators Singe Burns & Ponies, 5-4
HARRISBURG, PA - The Harrisburg Senators scored twice in the ninth to walk-off past the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, 5-4, on Saturday night at FNB Field. Cory Burns committed a throwing error and surrendered a game-winning single to Khayyan Norfork. Binghamton stranded a season-high 13 runners in the defeat.
Nursing a one-run lead, Burns opened the ninth by walking Spencer Kieboom. Following a sacrifice bunt, Yadiel Hernandez hit a chopper to the mound. Burns lost his footing while stepping towards first and skipped his throw past Cody Decker. Pinch-runner Stephen Perez scored from second to tie the game. Norfork laced Burns' next pitch inside the third-base line to send Binghamton to their third walk-off loss of the season.
Harrisburg's comeback washed away a tiebreaking pinch-hit from Matt Oberste in the eighth. With two outs and the bases empty, Oberste stepped in for Ponies starter PJ Conlon and laced Braulio Lara's 2-1 pitch over the left-field wall.
The Ponies and Senators had traded a trio of runs in the first four innings. Cody Decker led off the second inning with a home run to left, his second long ball in as many games. Binghamton tacked onto the lead on an RBI infield single by PJ Conlon and a run-scoring double by Champ Stuart. Harrisburg responded with a pair of home runs from Mario Lisson and Neftali Soto in the fourth to knot the game at three.
Conlon shook off the bumpy stretch in the fourth and battled through three more innings. The lefty retired 11 of the final 14 Senators he faced before being removed for Oberste in the top of the eighth.
Burns (0-1) allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit over 1-1/3 innings in his first blown save.
Andrew Robinson (1-0) recorded the last out of the top of the ninth and earned the win.
The Rumble Ponies (33-23) conclude their visit to Harrisburg on Sunday at 3:30 PM. The Horizons Federal Credit Union Pregame Show can be heard starting at 3:15 PM on News Radio 1290 WNBF and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies channel on TuneIn.
POSTGAME NOTES: Binghamton's last pinch-hit home run was hit by Jared King on July 22, 2015 against the New Britain Rock Cats…Cody Decker homered in back-to-back games for the second time this season…the Ponies stranded the bases loaded three times
Tickets for Binghamton's entire home schedule can be purchased at the NYSEG Stadium box office, online on www.bingrp.com and over the phone at (607) 722-FUNN.