The Binghamton Rumble Ponies dropped Game 1 of the Eastern League Championships, 9-6. Drew Gilbert‘s sixth-inning home run knotted the game at 6, but Joander Suarez and Wilkin Ramos combined to give up three late runs to allow the Seawolves to pull away. The 19-year-old Jett Williams walked four times.

They must win two consecutive games in Erie in the next two days to clinch the Eastern League Championship.

With white rally towels twirling around Mirabito Stadium, Blade Tidwell took the hill against the brother of former Met Wilmer Flores, also named Wilmer Flores.

Tidwell’s night kicked off in an auspicious way, as Trei Cruz doubled off of Tidwell’s first pitch of the game. However, the right-hander settled in, quickly retiring the next three to end the frame.

Bronson Harris of Binghamton Rumble Ponies

On the offensive side, Binghamton got off to a strong start. Looking no worse for the wear after missing the divisional series due to a late-season hit by a pitch on his leg, Kevin Parada singled in Luisangel Acuña to take an early 1-0 lead. A batter later, JT Schwartz legged out a double-play ball, which extended the Ponies’ lead to 2-0.

The Ponies took no mercy against Flores, knocking him out after tacking on another score in the second. A ground-rule double off of the bat of Rhylan Thomas scored Rowdey Jordan, who had kicked the frame off with a double.

Tidwell found himself in and out of trouble in the following frames, but Erie got to him in the fourth. After Jeremiah Jackson booted Jake Holton‘s ground ball to third, Ben Malgeri‘s ensuing double drove him home. Holton struck again in the fifth, lacing a Tidwell curveball over the left-field fence, 382 feet away, giving Erie their first lead of the night.

The Seawolves tacked on two more in the sixth against Benito Garcia. It was the first two runs he allowed at the Double-A level for Garcia.

Binghamton tied it right back up in the sixth. In a two-on, two-out situation, Drew Gilbert stepped up to the plate as the tying run. During his short time in the Mets system, Gilbert quickly developed a propensity to hit in the clutch. Yet again, he delivered a Lael Lockhart offering 388 feet in the night.

Joander Suarez, fresh off a regular-season streak of 17 scoreless frames, didn’t fare as successfully in the seventh. Eliezer Alfonzo poked an RBI double down the left-field line with two outs. Alfonzo is the second cousin of former Met Edgardo Alfonzo.

The Ponies put ducks on the pond in the seventh, eighth, and ninth, but they couldn’t drive them in. Against Ramos in the ninth, Erie tacked on two runs to put the metaphorical nails in the coffin.

Game 2 will take place at Erie on Tuesday, September 26 at 6:35 P.M. Christian Scott (5-4, 2.57 ERA) gets the assignment to save the Ponies’ season.