PORTLAND, Maine – The Binghamton Rumble Ponies (18-22) won their eighth consecutive game behind 15 hits to defeat the Portland Sea Dogs (22-18), 16-4 at Delta Dental Park at Hadlock Field on Tuesday night.
Binghamton is 9-1 over their last 10 games with 17 home runs. They took a 1-0 lead in the first inning off left-hander Dalton Rodgers (L, 1-4). Third baseman Jefferson Rojas deposited his first home run with the New York Mets organization and his 16th of the year.
The Rumble Ponies led all night, and it continued on a four-run second inning. Rogers walked three batters and hit one by a pitch. Left fielder Corey Collins scored center fielder Chris Suero on a walk. Then two batters later, shortstop Marco Vargas chalked up a two-run single, and second baseman Émilien Pitre followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 5-0.
Binghamton right-hander R.J. Gordon (W, 3-7) dazzled across 7.0 innings pitched and allowed just one earned run with five hits. It is the third consecutive start where Gordon pitched at least 6.0 innings. He has allowed just two earned runs over his last two starts that have spanned 13.0 innings.
Gordon has also now matched the career high of seven innings pitched for the second time in his last three outings.
The Rumble Ponies took a 7-0 lead in the fourth inning. Catcher Kevin Parada hammered an RBI double, and Vargas scored him with an RBI single. Parada has three doubles in August with six RBI. Vargas tallied his third three-hit game of the year with three RBI.
Gordon allowed one run in the fifth inning. Right fielder Miguel Bleis led off with a single, and two batters later, designated hitter Nate Baez chalked up an RBI single to cut the lead to 7-1.
Binghamton exploded off of right-hander Cooper Adams in the sixth inning for seven runs on six hits. Parada and Vargas both singled to lead off the frame, and Rojas brought Parada in with an RBI double. Rojas had three extra-base hits with three RBI in the contest.
One batter later, first baseman Jacob Reimer made it 10-1 with a two-run single. Reimer has six RBI over his first five games back with Double-A Binghamton. Two batters later, designated hitter Billy Amick cashed in with an RBI single, his 14th RBI in eight games with the Ponies.
In front 11-1, left fielder Corey Collins crushed a three-run home run that went 111 miles per hour off the bat to make it 14-1 Binghamton. Collins has four home runs and 12 RBI through his first 18 games at Double-A. The four RBI tonight were a career-high.
Binghamton was not done in the seventh inning, adding one run as Rojas chalked up another RBI double to give the Ponies a 15-1 lead.
In the seventh inning, Gordon allowed an unearned run as Rojas made an error at third base, and later in the frame, Baez drove in Bleis on a single to make it 15-2.
The Rumble Ponies took a 16-2 lead in the eighth inning as Parada delivered a sacrifice fly to score Amick, who singled to lead off the frame. Yohairo Cuevas entered in replacement of John Bay in right field and tallied a double, but was stranded at third base.
Against right-hander Douglas Orellana, Portland added two runs on two hits in the eighth inning. Third baseman Jack Winnay roped a one-out double, and first baseman Brooks Brannon followed with a two-run home run for his 19th of the year.
Left-hander Gabby Rodriguez took the ball in the ninth inning and went scoreless with one hit allowed.
On the offensive side, the Rumble Ponies went 7-for-19 with runners in scoring position, and six different hitters chalked up multi-hit games.
The Rumble Ponies continue a six-game series with the Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A, Boston Red Sox) on Wednesday at Delta Dental Park at Hadlock Field. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m and the game will be broadcast on MiLB.TV, News Radio 1290 AM & 92.1 FM, and on the WNBF News Radio App.
Postgame Notes: Rojas had three extra-base hits and his first home run in the New York Mets organization (3-for-5, 2 R, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB)...Vargas second three-hit game of the season (3-for-6, R, 3 RBI)...Collins fourth Double-A homer, career-high four RBI (1-for-4, 2 R, HR, 4 RBI)...Parada's eighth multi-hit game (2-for-3, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI)...Amick 22nd multi-hit game (2-for-5, 3 R, RBI, BB)...Pitre 18th multi-hit game (2-for-5, R, RBI)...Gordon spun 7.0 IP for the second time in three starts and the fifth time of his career (7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO).