Rumble with the Ponies

Tuesday, May 2nd Blane Abeyta (2-0 6.86 ERA) vs Luis Moreno (2-0 6.61 ERA)

𝐇𝐄'𝐒 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊!👨🏻
The Yankees have announced C Austin Wells has returned from his Minor League rehab assignment in Tampa and has been reinstated from Somerset's 7-Day Injured List. pic.twitter.com/xv0GWkpcQr

— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) May 2, 2023

Austin Wells is back! The Somerset catcher completed his rehab and joined the squad as they opened up a 6-game homestand against the Mets Double-A affiliate Binghamton Rumble Ponies. Trey Sweeney (2-for-3, 2 R, 2B, BB) scored the first run of the night after leading off the game with a double. Wells (1-for-3, 2 RBI, R, 2B, BB) made his Double-A season debut, returning from the 7-day injured list and doubling home Somerset’s final two runs of the game in the seventh inning. T.J. Rumfield (1-for-3, RBI, R, HR, BB) hit his third home run of the season to give the Patriots their second lead of the game in the fourth inning.  Somerset went on to win the opener 7-4. RHP Blas Castano (5.1 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 5 K) relieved starter Blane Abeyta and earned the win in his longest outing of the season. Indigo Diaz (1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K) pitched a perfect ninth inning, earning the save (2) for Somerset in his second consecutive appearance.  

Wednesday, May 3rd Richard Fitts (1-2 5.23 ERA) vs. Dominic Hamel (0-2 2.30 ERA)

Before fans could even finish taking their seats, the Patriots were already down 4-0. With 2 outs and a runner on second, the Rumble Ponies had 3 consecutive hits including an Agustin Ruiz 2-run homer that put Binghamton up early on Richard Fitts (7.0 IP, 4 R, 4 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 7 K) and the Pats. Somerset did not do much scoring either as the lone run came on an Eric Wagaman (2-for-4, RBI, R, HR) solo shot. With the home run, Wagaman has now gone deep in two of his last four games. The multi-hit performance was also Wagaman’s fourth this season out of 11 games started. Somerset fell to Binghamton 5-1 in game 2 of the series and fell to 13-9 on the year.

Thursday, May 4th Will Warren (1-0 4.45 ERA) vs. Junior Santos (0-2 5.59 ERA)

With the series tied at 1 a piece, Will Warren toed the slab in Bridgewater as yet another cold night at TD Bank Ballpark was in the works. Warren and Binghamton starter Junior Santos each put up goose eggs through their first 4 innings, with Santos even escaping a bases loaded jam with no one out. Then came the bottom of the 5th; back-to-back singles by Eduardo Torrealba and Trey Sweeney set the stage for Jasson Dominguez with runners on first and second with no one out. Dominguez lined a single to left to scoring Torrealba, and the Pats finally broke through. It didn’t take long for them to add even more as with the bases loaded and only one out, T.J. Rumfield hit a huge grand slam and the Patriots kept their foot on the gas pedal to get the win 10-0.

Friday, May 5th Clayton Beeter (2-1 1.74 ERA) vs. Mike Vasil (0-1 4.50 ERA)

Cinco de Mayo paved the way to a Friday night lights matchup as Clayton Beeter took the mound to build off a shutout win the night before. Beeter did just that as he went 6.0 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 11 K. He was credited with a no-decision, after he struck out a new career-best 11 strikeouts in six shutout innings. Somerset pitching held Binghamton to another shutout for the second game in a row. The offense’s hero for the team was Austin Wells as he belted a 2-run shot 424 ft to electrify the sell out crowd. Wells finished the night 1-for-4, 2 RBI, R, HR. RHP Steven Jennings (2.0 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 K) earned his second win of the season, relieving Beeter with two scoreless innings of relief. RHP Tanner Myatt (1.0 IP, 0 R, H, 2 K) earned his team-high third save of the season, pitching a scoreless ninth and striking out the final two batters of the game. 

Saturday, May 6th Gray Fenter (1-1 5.11 ERA) vs. Jose Chacin (0-0 9.00 ERA)

Another beautiful day in Bridgewater, and the Patriot faithful showed out again for another sell out. The game was played in front of a sold-out crowd of 6,962—the Patriots’ largest crowd of the season. Right away the team showed the sell-out crowd some fireworks of their own. Jasson Dominguez (1-for-3, RBI, R, HR, BB, K) and Austin Wells (1-for-4, RBI, R, HR) went back-to-back in the bottom of the first to put Somerset up early 2-0 against their future crosstown rivals. Later on in the 2nd inning, T.J. Rumfield (1-for-3, 2 RBI, R) doubled the Patriots’ lead with his fifth home run of the season, improving the lead to 4-0 which later on would be the game deciding run. Gray Fenter got the start for the Pats and went 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 6 K as he earned his second win of the year, allowing only three baserunners to reach in his five innings. The Rumble Ponies cut the lead to 4-3 in the 9th, but Justin Wilson was able to hold on and get the save as Somerset escaped with a win going into Sunday’s finale. 

Sunday, May 7th Blane Abeyta (1-0 8.40 ERA) vs. Luis Moreno (2-1 7.60 ERA)

Sunny and 75, the perfect weather for a day of baseball! That’s exactly what Mother Nature brought to the table for Game 6 of this Minor League Subway Series between the Big Apple’s Double-A squads. RHP Blane Abeyta (6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 1 K) got the nod as the Yanks’ Double-A squad looked to put a stamp on their series with Binghamton by taking the final game of the 6-game set. Knotted up a 2 in the 4th, Tyler Hardman (2-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 R, HR, K) hit a moon shot over the left field wall to give the Baby Bombers a 4-2 and the team never looked back. Brandon Lockridge (2-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB) and Austin Wells (1-for-5, 2 RBI, R, HR, 2 K) belted home runs and the Bridgewater Boys of Summer capped off a strong 5-1 homestand by saddling the Ponies 11-2 as they now head up to Portland for a date with the first place Portland Sea Dogs.

A 2 run long ball by Tyler Hardman puts @SOMPatriots in front here going into the top of the 5th leading @RumblePoniesBB 4-2 #RepBX #MiLB pic.twitter.com/KUvMiu5mma

— Bobby Santoro (@bsantoro112) May 7, 2023