READING, PA – The Binghamton Rumble Ponies completed a four-game sweep of the Reading Fightin Phils and grabbed sole possession of second place in the Eastern Division with a 7-5 win on Sunday afternoon at FirstEnergy Stadium. Matt Oberste compiled a three-hit game to push the Ponies into second place for the first time since June 11.

Kevin Taylor swayed the game with one play in the sixth. With Binghamton down 3-2, he lofted a fly ball down the left-field line. Canelo, sprinting back from his position at short and nearing the foul line, reached for fly ball, but had it squirt out of his glove. Assuming the play was dead, Canelo flipped the ball into the stands, allowing Oberste to score from first. Taylor advanced to third on the mental mistake and came home with the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly from Tomas Nido.

Binghamton added three more runs in seventh after reliever Alberto Tirado issued four walks. Oberste deposited a two-run double into the left-field alley before Nido walked with the bases loaded.

The insurance runs proved to be necessary for the Rumble Ponies. Reading plated two runs in the seventh against Kelly Secrest, cutting the lead in half. The Fightins loaded the bases in eighth and forced Luis Rojas to summon Tim Peterson. The righty induced Carlos Tocci to bounce out to first, ending the threat and preserving the lead. In the ninth, Peterson allowed a leadoff single to Mitch Walding, but kept the Fightins off the board to earn his sixth save.

Casey Delgado (6-4) battled through six innings to earn the victory in his return to the rotation. The righty was touched for three runs on six hits over six innings, but stranded a half-dozen runners and held the Fightins to a 1-for-8 clip with runners in scoring positon. Bergjans (1-3) surrendered four runs (one earned) over six innings in the loss.

The Rumble Ponies (50-38) return home for a five-game, three-day series against the Akron RubberDucks starting on Monday at 5:35 p.m. The Ponies resume a suspended game before playing their regularly scheduled contest. LHP PJ Conlon takes the mound against LHP Thomas Pannone in the resumed game. The Horizons Federal Credit Union Pregame Show can be heard starting at 5:20 p.m. on NewsRadio 1290 AM WNBF and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies channel on TuneIn.

POSTGAME NOTES: Kevin Kaczmarski belted a solo home run in the first inning, his third long ball of the season…Casey Delgado extended his unbeaten streak to 10 starts…the Ponies have won the last eight games Delgado has started

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