Rumble Ponies run into red-hot SeaWolves, fall in Eastern League Championship Series
ERIE, Pa. – The Rumble Ponies ran into the wrong team at the wrong time.
Erie seemed like a team of destiny as the SeaWolves jumped on every Binghamton mistake and made the Rumble Ponies pay in a big way.
The SeaWolves rode the momentum of a playoff-record crowd at UPMC Park to beat the Ponies 10-0 on Tuesday to complete the sweep in the Eastern League Championship Series. It is the first Eastern League championship in SeaWolves history.
The Ponies seemed to be the team to beat after dominating Somerset in the division series, but after not winning a see-saw battle on Monday, Binghamton struggled in all phases of the game in Game 2. The Ponies left just four runners on base and had just two at-bats with runners in scoring position as Brant Hurter, the league leader in ERA, threw seven shutout innings for the SeaWolves.
Binghamton's star-studded top of the lineup, which features four of the top five prospects in the Mets organization finished 2-for-15 with five strikeouts on Tuesday.
The loss, however, doesn't diminish the season the Ponies put together as they finished the year as Northeast Division champions. Christian Scott, one of the top pitching prospects for the Mets along with Luisangel Acuna were named Eastern League all-stars on Tuesday.
The Ponies open the 2024 season on April 5 at Mirabito Stadium against New Hampshire before heading back to Erie to take on the SeaWolves.
Here are three key moments of Game 2:
Double-play woes
Binghamton had several rallies stopped right away as Erie turned three double plays on Tuesday. Kevin Parada led off the second inning with a base hit to centerfield but JT Schwartz grounded into a double play to second base to erase Parada.
In the top of the sixth inning, Rhylan Thomas doubled to left to bring up the top of the order with one out. Acuna drew a walk to put two runners on, but 19-year-old prospect Jett Williams grounded into a double play at second base.
In the top of the seventh inning, Drew Gilbert led off with an infield single, but Parada grounded into a double play to shortstop.
Allowing the big fly
The Ponies have a solid pitching staff but it allowed three home runs on Tuesday to change the momentum of the game. Jake Holton blasted a solo home run off Scott, a highly-rated prospect, in the second inning. He later hit a two-run home run off Matt Minnick, who pitched in his first game back in Erie since his days at Mercyhurst University. Gage Workman also hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning as five of the SeaWolves' 10 runs came by home run.
Small ball leads to more runs
Binghamton trailed 3-0 after four innings and needed to keep the deficit at three runs to try and rally at the plate. The fifth inning, however, turned into a disaster for the Ponies. Workman led off with a single and went to second on a wild pitch, Trei Cruz then singled to drive him in. After a flyout, Jace Jung lifted a deep flyball to right field. The ball didn't have enough to get out, but Rowdey Jordan dropped the ball on the warning track putting runners on second and third. Chris Meyers followed with a short chopper in front of the mound, allowing Cruz to score as catcher Hayden Senger couldn't get a handle on the ball. Two batters later a groundout scored Jung to give the SeaWolves a 6-0 lead.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Eastern League: Binghamton Rumble Ponies swept by Erie SeaWolves
