HARRISBURG, PA – Binghamton infielder Jeff McNeil blasted his 14th home run of the season to lead the Rumble Ponies past the Harrisburg Senators, 5-3, on Thursday afternoon at FNB Field. The Ponies scored five runs in their first two turns at the plate and held off Harrisburg’s late push to claim the rubber game and improve to a season-best seven games over .500.

McNeil set the tone for Binghamton in the first, launching a solo homer to right against Harrisburg starter Wirkin Estevez. Binghamton added to the lead with four runs in the second. Peter Alonso and Peter Mazeika both walked with the bases loaded before Jhoan Urena pulled a two-run single into right field.

Binghamton’s early offensive push was enough for Scott Copeland. Making his first start following a one-game stint with the New York Mets, Copeland kept the Senators at bay through five scoreless innings. He stranded a half-dozen runners over five frames before Harrisburg finally nipped him in the sixth. Matt Reistetter cut Binghamton’s lead to three by skipping a two-run single up the middle.

Reliever Daniel Zamora took over on the mound in the seventh. Despite allowed two hits and hitting a batter, the southpaw limited the damage to one run thanks to three strikeouts in the inning. He returned with a perfect eighth, racking up two more strikeouts. Ryder Ryan stepped around a leadoff walk in the ninth and posted a scoreless inning to earn his first career Double-A save.