Binghamton 4 - Akron 3

Jio Mier supplied a tiebreaking RBI double with two outs in the eighth and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies hung on to beat the Akron RubberDucks, 4-3, on Tuesday night at Canal Park. Alberto Baldonado stranded two in the ninth to cap a five-out save.

One inning after tying the game, Akron third baseman Joe Sever opened the door for Binghamton in the eighth. He compounded a fielding error with a throwing error, allowing Luis Guillorme to get to second on a dribbler near the mound. Mier scorched a double down the left-field line to plate Guillorme, putting the Ponies on top for good.

Baldonado withstood an Akron attack in the ninth to earn his second save. The lefty walked the first two he faced to start the inning, but stranded both by retiring three straight. Baldonado locked down Binghamton’s third one-run victory of the season by fanning Greg Allen.

Binghamton had owned an early lead thanks to a two-run second inning against Akron starter Michael Peoples. Mier put the Ponies on the board with a bases-loaded walk and Champ Stuart added a sacrifice fly. Stuart extended the lead with an RBI single in the fourth.

Donovan Hand could not keep a lid on the two-run lead despite going 6-1/3 innings in his Rumble Ponies debut. With two outs in the fifth, Allen pulled an RBI single into right. Joe Sever tied the game and ended Hand’s night by zipping a run-scoring double into the left-field corner in the seventh.

Corey Taylor (1-2) earned the win by chipping in an inning of scoreless relief. The righty stranded an inherited runner from Hand in the seventh before grabbing the first out in the eighth.

Playing at Double-A for the first time since 2011, Hand pitched into the seventh and allowed three runs on seven hits. He struck out five and did not issue a walk in the no-decision.

Akron reliever Robbie Aviles (1-1) surrendered the game-deciding unearned run in the eighth and took the loss.

The Rumble Ponies (8-8) conclude the three-game series with the RubberDucks on Wednesday night at 6:35 PM. RHP Corey Oswalt toes the rubber against RHP Nick Pasquale in the rubber game. 

POSTGAME NOTES: Kevin Taylor extended his hitting streak to a team-best eleven games with a two-hit performance…Tomas Nido registered his first multiple-hit game of the season…Alberto Baldonado has recorded at least five outs in each of his two saves