BINGHAMTON, NY – PJ Conlon fired his third shutout of the season and the Binghamton Rumbles Ponies backed him with 14 hits in a 13-0 seven-inning win over the Akron RubberDucks on Tuesday night at NYSEG Stadium. Conlon became the first Binghamton pitcher in 24 years to record a trio of shutouts in one season and Binghamton matched a franchise record for their largest shutout win in team history.

Binghamton’s offense erupted in the second inning against Nick Pasquale. Gustavo Nunez put the Rumble Ponies on the board by flipping an RBI double down the left-field line. Champ Stuart kept the rally alive by skipping a two-out, two-run single into left. After LJ Mazzilli provided an RBI single, the Rumble Ponies pushed their fifth run of the inning across when reliever DJ Brown uncorked a wild pitch.

Buoyed by a five-run lead, Conlon cruised from the third into the seventh. After surrendering a one-out single to Greg Allen, the southpaw retired 11 straight RubberDucks hitters. The stretch included three of Conlon’s eight strikeouts.

The Rumble Ponies salted the game away by scoring seven runs on four hits and four walks in the sixth inning. Tomas Nido deposited a two-run single into right before Nunez provided the exclamation point with a two-run triple to the right-field alley.

After a lengthy stay on the bench during Binghamton’s big sixth inning, Conlon returned for the seventh and allowed the first two men to reach. He battled back to notch three straight outs and earn his first win since May 24.

Conlon (6-7) scattered three hits over seven innings to snap an eight-game winless skid. Pasquale (3-8) allowed five runs on seven hits in 1-2/3 innings in the loss.

The Rumble Ponies (51-39) conclude their series against Akron with a double header on Wednesday afternoon starting at 12:05 p.m. RHP Chris Flexen faces RHP Matt Esparza in the opener. The Horizons Federal Credit Union Pregame Show can be heard starting at 11:50 a.m. on CBS Sports Radio 1360 AM WYOS and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies channel on TuneIn.

POSTGAME NOTES: The victory was Binghamton’s third 13-0 win in franchise history; the Binghamton Mets beat the Norwich Navigators by that score on July 29, 1995 and beat the Harrisburg Senators by that final on June 16, 1995…it was Binghamton’s largest margin of victory since they defeated the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, 15-2, on April 21, 1993…Bobby J. Jones holds the franchise record for shutouts in a season with four in 1992…the Ponies and RubberDucks played seven innings after finishing a suspended game earlier in the day

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