HARTFORD, CT – Hartford starter Yency Almonte tossed seven innings of one-run ball to lead the Yard Goats past the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, 7-1, on Wednesday night at Dunkin Donuts Park. Ponies starter Marcos Molina struck out seven, but took the loss.

Almonte was given early run support. With two aboard in the first, Dom Nunez blasted Molina’s 1-1 pitch down the right-field line for his eighth home run of the season. The long ball, which came within feet of leaving Dunkin Donuts Park, put Hartford up by three.

The Rumble Ponies made Almonte pay for issuing a two-out walk to Molina in the third. Champ Stuart scorched a triple into the left-field corner, plating the Ponies pitcher with Binghamton’s first run.

Stuart’s three-bagger proved to be Binghamton’s only tally against Almonte (3-3). The righty wrapped up his second start against the Rumble Ponies with four scoreless innings, capping the night by retiring the final four batters he faced. He surrendered just four hits over seven innings to earn his first win since April 28. Matt Pierpont closed the game with two blank innings of relief.

Molina (0-3) shook off the first-inning homer and capped his night with five scoreless innings. The righty allowed seven hits, but struck out seven in the defeat.

Hartford salted the game away by hanging four runs on the Ponies bullpen over the final two innings. Omar Carrizales laced a home run off Luis Mateo in the eight before Kelly Secrest surrendered a pair of RBI singles in the ninth.

The Rumble Ponies (40-33) conclude their only regular season visit to Hartford on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. The Horizons Federal Credit Union Pregame Show can be heard starting at 6:50 p.m. on NewsRadio 1290 AM WNBF and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies channel on TuneIn.

POSTGAME NOTES: Binghamton did not commit an error in their ninth straight game, their longest streak since August 2014. Binghamton’s scoreless streak from relievers was snapped at 17.1 innings…Luis Guillorme had his 14-game road hitting streak, the longest active stretch in the league, snapped with an 0-for-4 game

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.

 

– Submitted