Sea Dogs edge Rumble Ponies with home run in 9th
Brooks Brannon’s tie‑breaking home run in the ninth inning lifted the Portland Sea Dogs to a 4‑3 victory over the Binghamton Rumble Ponies on Tuesday night in Binghamton, New York. The Eastern League contest turned on Brannon’s solo shot with one out in the top of the ninth, his 16th home run of the season, which broke a 3‑3 deadlock and sealed the win for Portland.
The Sea Dogs built an early cushion. In the first inning, Ronald Rosario plated the game’s opening run with a single after Will Turner was hit by a pitch. Turner moved into scoring position on a single by Jack Winnay and advanced on a flyout, setting up Rosario’s run‑scoring hit.
Portland extended its lead in the third when Winnay crushed a long drive to left‑center field for a solo homer. Rosario added to the advantage in the fourth, drilling his seventh home run in the last eight games, a shot that sailed well beyond the left‑center wall and pushed the score to 3‑0.
The Rumble Ponies refused to go quietly. In the bottom of the eighth, Binghamton mounted a comeback, erasing the three‑run deficit with three runs. The rally was aided by two walks, a hit‑by‑pitch with the bases loaded, and a wild pitch that allowed the tying run to cross the plate, knotting the score at 3‑3.
The drama shifted back to the top of the ninth when Brannon stepped in with one out. He connected on a 2‑1 offering and sent it over the outfield fence, giving the Sea Dogs a one‑run advantage they would not relinquish.
The victory came after a reshuffled Sea Dogs bullpen, a result of Blake Wehunt’s promotion to Triple‑A Worcester. The Sea Dogs opened with Caleb Bowden, then called on Max Carlson, Erik Rivera, Jeremy Wu‑Yelland and Cooper Adams. Adams entered with two outs in the eighth and earned the win, his eighth of the season and a team‑high.
The win moves Portland a step closer to securing a favorable standing in the Eastern League’s standings, while Binghamton looks to regroup after the narrow loss. The Sea Dogs will aim to carry the momentum into their next matchup, hoping Brannon’s clutch power continues to spark the lineup.
