With their season on the line, the Binghamton Rumble Ponies broke through with a big seventh inning and held off a late surge from the Erie SeaWolves to win Game 2 of the Eastern League Championship, forcing a decisive Game 3 on Wednesday.

Double-A

EASTERN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME 2

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (1-1) 5, Erie SeaWolves (1-1) 4

BOX SCORE

It was a back-and-forth battle, with both teams trading leads in the middle innings, but the Rumble Ponies ultimately prevailed to force a decisive Game 3 on Wednesday.

Jacob Reimer, just as he had been throughout the regular season, led the way for Binghamton with two hits—including a double—and three RBIs. His two-run single in the seventh provided key insurance after the Ponies regained the lead, cushioning them against Erie’s quick two-run response in the bottom half.

The SeaWolves jumped on Watson early, putting six runners on base in just over two innings while forcing him to throw 54 pitches. With trouble looming in the third, Watson handed the ball to Felipe De La Cruz, who limited the damage by allowing only one inherited runner to score. De La Cruz later surrendered a solo homer in the sixth, but otherwise delivered a steady middle-relief outing for the Rumble Ponies.

Ben Simon shut the door in the ninth, retiring the top of Erie’s order, including this fly ball to left fielder Nick Morabito that helped seal the win:

Binghamton will finish the series against the SeaWolves on Wednesday at 6:35 PM. Jack Wenninger will take the hill for the Rumble Ponies.