Game Recap and Highlights: Francisco Alvarez' 2 HRs lead Binghamton to win

 

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Box Score 

Alvarez Stars with 2 HR, 4 Hits as Ponies Beat Fightins

READING, PA – Francisco Alvarez hit two home runs, finished 4-4, scored three runs and reached base five times as the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (14-27) scored two runs in the ninth to defeat the Reading Fightin Phils 6-4 Thursday night at FirstEnergy Stadium.

It was Alvarez first four hit game and multi-homer game at the Double-A level. He hit his first home run since April 17^th in the third inning with a solo homer over the left-field wall to put the Ponies on top 3-0. He added another solo shot to center in the fifth that made it 4-0. Alvarez now has six homers on the season and 21 RBI. He also doubled down the left field line in the first, singled to left in the seventh, and walked in the ninth.

In the ninth, with the game tied at four, Johneshwy Fargas led off the inning with a walk. After moving to second on a Quinn Brodey groundout, Jeremy Vasquez drove him in with the go-ahead RBI single to right center field to put the Ponies back on top 5-4. The next batter Zach Ashford followed with a hit to right center to drive in Vasquez and make it 6-4 Binghamton.

Michel Otanez closed out the ninth, striking out Kevin Vicuña to end the game and earn his fifth save of the year. Otanez is five for five in save opportunities this season.

The Ponies scored a run in four of the first five innings to take a 4-0 lead. In the first, Ronny Mauricio hit an RBI single to drive home Alvarez to put the Ponies on the board. In the second, Fargas scored from third on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.

Reading (18-24) would respond with three runs in the bottom of the fifth against Ponies starter Jose Butto to cut the Ponies lead to 4-3. In the seventh, with the bases loaded and two out, Ponies RHP Trey Cobb hit Vicuña with a pitch to force home the game-tying run.

The two teams continue their series on Friday night with first pitch scheduled for 6:45 PM and pregame coverage getting underway on Newsradio 1290 WNBF and 92.1FM at 6:30 PM.

Postgame Notes: Mauricio now has a team-leading 25 RBI on the season…Binghamton has taken two of the first three games in the series.

More than a month without a homer? Not anymore.

Top-ranked @Mets prospect Francisco Álvarez tees off in consecutive at-bats for @RumblePoniesBB. pic.twitter.com/a1ujLFhoyv

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 27, 2022