Binghamton, N.Y. – The Binghamton Rumble Ponies (2-5) battled through two rain delays that combined to last 2 hours and 36 minutes to take down the Chesapeake Baysox (2-4), 5-3 from Mirabito Stadium.
After a 53-minute delay, left-hander Luis De León (2-6) took the mound for Chesapeake, and Binghamton took a 2-0 lead.
Catcher Chris Suero. First baseman JT Schwartz brought him in with an RBI groundout, and right fielder Matt Rudick followed with an RBI single.
Left-hander Jonathan Santucci pitched a hitless and scoreless 2.0 innings with three strikeouts, but then the contest went into a second delay entering the bottom of the second inning.
Neither Santucci nor De León came back out as De León just went 1.0 inning, allowing one run.
After a 1 hour and 43 minute delay, and both delays combining to last 2 hours and 36 minutes, Binghamton took a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning.
Right-hander Gerald Ogando struck out two batters to begin the inning, but then put five consecutive batters on and surrendered one hit. Suero singled and scored on a wild pitch, and Nick Lorusso delivered an RBI single to highlight the inning.
Ogando walked Schwartz and was then taken out of the game with an apparent injury. Left-hander Juan Rojas entered in relief and struck out Rudick to end the inning.
Chesapeake put up two runs in the third inning to cut the Binghamton lead to 5-2. Right-hander Jordan Geber took the mound, but after walking his first three batters, he left the game with an apparent injury.
Right-hander Danis Correa entered and got right fielder Thomas Sosa to ground into a double play, which scored a run. Two batters later, second baseman Aron Estrada tallied a two-out RBI single.
The Baysox added a run to make it 5-3 in the fourth, as third baseman Willy Vazquez chalked up an RBI groundout scoring Griff O’Ferrall, who led off the inning with a single.
Rojas was dominant for Chesapeake, tossing 3.0 perfect innings while striking out four batters.
Correra went 2.0 innings, allowing one run with two strikeouts. Left-hander Felpie De La Cruz (1-1), who was activated back to Double-A Binghamton, went 2.0 scoreless in his return.
Left-hander Gabby Rodriguez entered in the seventh inning for relief. He allowed two walks in the eighth inning but got out of the jam, finishing the night going 2.0 scoreless.
From the fifth to seventh innings, the Baysox recorded just one hit, which was their only base runner, but Rojas, right-hander Keegan Gillis, and right-hander Zane Barnahrt combined to retire 19 straight batters entering the ninth inning.
In the ninth, leading 5-3, Binghamton right-hander Saul Garcia picked up his second save to secure the victory with two strikeouts.
The Rumble Ponies continue a six-game series with the Chesapeake Baysox (Double-A, Baltimore Orioles) on Wednesday at Mirabito Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:07 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on News Radio 1290 AM & 92.1 FM, the WNBF News Radio App, and MiLB.TV
Postgame Notes: Chris Suero has scored six runs over his last two games (2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, SB)...Nick Lorusso tallied his 39th RBI, which is 2nd on the team (1-for-4, R, RBI, SB)...Matt Rudick (1-for-4, RBI)...Felipe De La Cruz has allowed just two runs over his last 7.0 innings (2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO)...Gabby Rodriguez (2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO)...Saul Garcia tallied his second save (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO).