BINGHAMTON, NY – For the first time this year, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats dropped both halves of a doubleheader, falling twice to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies on Sunday.
Binghamton won the first game 4-2, as New Hampshire mustered only four hits during the entire seven-inning contest.
The Ponies got on the board in the third thanks to a pair of bases loaded walks, first to Jeff McNeil and then to Peter Alosno.
While Gunnar Heidt registered his first home run of the year, a two-run game-tying blast in the fourth, Binghamton restored their lead half an inning later.
There, Tim Tebow registered his second hit of the day, an RBI single that would bring Jhoan Urena across the plate.
Kevin Taylor brought McNeil home in the fifth for an insurance run in the fifth to conclude the contest’s scoring.
Tebow and Tomas Nido each had a 2-for-3 game for the Ponies, with Tebow’s two hits being his first in nearly a week.
Randy Pondler lasted just 3 2/3 innings in his Double-A debut, allowing three runs off five hits and three walks to get the loss.
In contrast, Nabil Crismatt (7-2) pitched a complete game, allowing just four hits and three walks, striking out four. Crismatt is now 2-0 in three starts against the Fisher Cats this year, allowing just four runs over 19 innings in those appearances.
New Hampshire fell 5-1 in the second game, with all five of the Ponies’ runs coming during a second inning rally.
Four of those runs came off a McNeil grand slam, his 13th home run of the year and eighth this year against New Hampshire. The other run came courtesy of an RBI single from Taylor, bringing Alonso home.
Patrick Cantwell contributed New Hampshire’s only RBI, a fourth-inning single that allowed Juan Kelly to score.
McNeil and Taylor ended the game going 2-for-3 for Binghamton while Max Pentecost and Joanthan Davis also contributed two hits for New Hampshire.
The winning pitcher was Ryder Ryan (1-0), recording four outs during just his second Eastern League appearance. Ryan and four other Binghamton pitchers combined to allow just nine total baserunners over the seven-inning contest, a number nearly duplicated by losing pitcher Josh DeGraaf.
DeGraaf (1-2) lasted just 1 2/3 innings, ejected along with Fisher Cats manager John Schneider after hitting Alonso. He’d be on the hook for all five of the Binghamton runs and four of their nine hits during the contest.
Sunday marked the final time New Hampshire will travel to NYSEG Stadium this season, also breaking five consecutive split doubleheaders, including one just a day before against Binghamton.
The Fisher Cats now travel home to face the Akron Rubber Ducks on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. The Fisher Cats were 2-4 last year and stand 32-50 all-time against Akron.
