BINGHAMTON, NY – Nine innings on Friday not a possibility? That’s okay, 14 innings on Saturday will work just fine.
Following the third postponement of their season just a day earlier, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats played Friday’s game as well as Saturday’s originally scheduled game against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, winning both of them.
Francisco Rios couldn’t notch his first win of the year in the early part of the doubleheader, allowing four early runs, but the Fisher Cats let him off the hook, albeit eventually.
New Hampshire got on the board in the fourth, but Tim Tebow’s home run brought the Ponies lead back to four runs in the sixth, only to see that lead quickly evaporate.
In the top of the seventh, New Hampshire batted around the order scoring five runs off five hits, enough of a cushion for Andrew Case to come in and shut the door in the bottom of the seventh to seal New Hampshire’s 6-5 win.
Case grabbed his second save of the year in the process, with Jose Fernandez (2-0) getting the win for his two innings in relief of Rios. Eric Hanhold (2-1) earned the loss for allowing New Hampshire’s seventh inning barrage.
Jeff McNeil joined Tebow in recording a home run for Binghamton during the contest, ending the day with three RBI and a run scored. Tebow also added a single in the second, marking his third multi-hit game against the Fisher Cats so far this season.
For New Hampshire, Jonathan Davis, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Harold Ramirez each had two hits, with Guerrero also recording two RBI and two runs.
Cavan Biggio also earned two walks, putting one walk ahead of Binghamton’s Peter Alsonso for the Eastern League lead in that category.
The second truncated seven-inning game of the day had a similar feeling, with the Fisher Cats winning 4-2 despite once again falling behind early.
However, this time they only had to overcome one run in the first, doing so in the top of the third thanks to consecutive hits from Bo Bichette and Guerrero.
McNeil added his second home run of the day in the bottom of the third to tie up the contest, but Binghamton would not regain their lead, with the Fisher Cats adding their other runs in the sixth.
In contrast to Rios, New Hampshire starting pitcher Jordan Romano (5-0) submitted yet another gem, with late Thursday callup Kirby Snead and Justin Shafer combining for five outs of scoreless relief.
Austin McGeorge (1-1) did not escape the sixth, allowing two hits and two walks that led to the pair of runs.
Guerrero and Ramirez contributed a multi-hit performance in the latter half of the doubleheader as well, with Binghamton limited to just one hit outside of McNeil’s home run, a Kevin Taylor single in the first.
The two come-from-behind wins doubled New Hampshire’s tally of come-from-behind wins achieved so far this season, raising their record against the Rumble Ponies to 5-4 overall this year.
Both teams meet for a Sunday matinee before the Fisher Cats return to Manchester for a three-game set with the Portland Sea Dogs.
Nick Tepesch (1-2, 4.50 ERA) takes the mound at 2:05 p.m. for the Fisher Cats. He’ll take on Binghamton’s Nabil Crismatt (2-1, 2.28 ERA)
