BINGHAMTON – The Binghamton Rumble Ponies scored one run in four different innings Sunday afternoon at NYSEG Stadium, propelling them to a 4-3 victory and an opening-series sweep against the Portland Sea Dogs. Rumble Ponies starter Nabil Crismatt led the charge, at one point retiring 13 hitters in a row for his first-ever Double-A win. 

Playing second-inning small ball, Binghamton scored the game’s first run and would lead wire-to-wire. After singles from Tomas Nido and Kevin Taylor, Jhoan Urena’s fly out to deep right field pushed both Ponies baserunners into scoring position. John Mora got the job done, bringing in Nido with a groundout to second base.

Mora was the only factor in Binghamton’s second run. His fourth-inning two-run blast snuck inside the right-field foul pole to give the Rumble Ponies a 2-0 advantage. Mora’s first home run of 2018 was Binghamton’s fourth. 

Meanwhile, Crismatt (1-0) motored through the Sea Dogs lineup after allowing a game-opening double to Cole Sturgeon. The 23-year-old Columbian settled in to retire 18 of the final 19 batters he faced, with the lone Sea Dog reaching on an Andrew Ely error. Crismatt lasted six frames and struck out nine without allowing a walk. 

After a Jhoan Urena sacrifice fly extended the Rumble Ponies lead in the sixth inning, Peter Alonso tacked on an important insurance run in the seventh inning. The Rumble Ponies first baseman launched his second home run of the season, clearing the fence in left-center field.