Sharp shines in Binghamton loss

Share the Ink Link love

BINGHAMTON, NY – The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (8-11) dropped their final contest of a seven-game road series against the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (12-8) with a 2-1 loss on Sunday afternoon at Mirabito Stadium. The Fisher Cats stranded five runners in scoring position in the final three innings to drop the series finale.

New Hampshire catcher Jacob Sharp recorded his first multi-hit game in 2025 with a 2-for-4 day, including a game-tying single with two outs in the top of the fifth inning. On top of the two hits, Sharp caught a pair of potential Binghamton base-stealers.

Binghamton’s Jonah Tong recorded 10 strikeouts and allowed one hit and one walk in four scoreless frames. The Rumble Ponies threw five different arms in the game’s final five innings, with the win going to righty Trey McLoughlin (1-0).

New Hampshire starter Michael Dominguez made his second start of the series and surrendered his first earned run of the season. Dominguez started the year with six scoreless frames across three outings until the top of the third inning on Sunday when doubles from designated hitter Nick Morabito and left fielder Travis Swaggerty put Binghamton in front, 1-0.

The Fisher Cats tied Sunday’s game in the top of the fifth, an inning that began with second baseman Ryan McCarty getting plunked by a pitch. McCarty advanced to second on a wild pitch and then to third on a flyout to center, and with two outs, Sharp looped his first hit of the game to center field to tie the game at 1-1.

New Hampshire righty reliever Bobby Milacki (L, 0-1) made his first appearance since being assigned from Triple-A Buffalo. Milacki fired two scoreless frames with two strikeouts and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the fourth before he allowed a two-out triple in the bottom of the seventh, which broke Sunday’s tie and gave Binghamton a 2-1 lead.

Relievers Conor Larkin and Johnathan Lavallee split the final two frames and each recorded a strikeout. Lavallee allowed two straight singles with two outs in the top of the ninth but ended the inning with a looking strikeout on De Los Santos.

Right fielder Gabriel Martinez led off the top of the ninth inning with a single, before a balk put pinch-runner Devonte Brown on second base with one out. Binghamton reliever Carlos Guzman fired back-to-back strikeouts, and the Rumble Ponies held on to the 2-1 final score. New Hampshire threatened with runners at second and third in the seventh and eighth innings with one out but could not even up Sunday’s game.