Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Lehigh Valley dropped both ends of a doubleheader to the Syracuse Mets at Coca-Cola Park, falling 6-0 in the opener and 8-7 in a back-and-forth nightcap. Syracuse’s bats did most of the damage; the IronPigs managed only flashes of offense across the two games.
Alan Rangel took the loss in game one, allowing five runs on seven hits over four innings as Syracuse built its lead on three solo home runs and a two-run shot. Mets starter Jonah Tong carried a no-hitter into the seventh before Kameron Misner broke it up with a double — the only hit Lehigh Valley managed all game. Tanner Banks worked 1.2 scoreless innings with three strikeouts in relief, and Mitch Neunborn allowed just a hit and a run over 1.1 innings.
Game two started far more promisingly. A passed ball, a two-run double from Colby Thomas and an RBI single from Payton Henry staked the IronPigs to a 4-0 lead in the first. Brian Keller lasted only 1.2 innings and allowed five runs, but Tucker Davidson steadied things with 2.1 innings of one-run relief. Kameron Misner’s two-run single and a wild pitch pulled Lehigh Valley back in front, 7-6, in the fourth. Syracuse tied it in the sixth and won it in the seventh on Billy Amick‘s solo homer off reliever Lou Trivino III, who took the loss.
Misner finished with three hits and two RBIs, and Otto Kemp scored twice to lead the Lehigh Valley lineup. No IronPigs hitter left the yard in either game. Lehigh Valley wraps up its six-game homestand Sunday at 1:15 p.m., with Chuck King on the mound against Syracuse’s Xzavion Curry.
Reading Fightin Phils
The Fightin Phils swept a doubleheader from the Binghamton Rumble Ponies at FirstEnergy Stadium, winning 5-3 and 3-0 to stretch their Eastern League Northeast Division lead to 3.5 games. The second game completed a makeup of the Aug. 27 rainout.
Binghamton grabbed an early lead in game one on a Chris Suero RBI single, but Bryan Rincon answered instantly with a leadoff home run to left-center — his 22nd of the year and part of an MLB-leading ninth leadoff shot in 2026. Corey Collins and Jefferson Rojas each connected for Binghamton to push the Rumble Ponies back in front 3-1, before Caleb Ricketts trimmed the deficit with his tenth homer of the season, a drive onto the Redner’s Event Center veranda in right. Ricketts finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored. Reading broke the game open in the fourth, loading the bases and cashing in on a wild pitch, a hit batter and a bases-loaded walk for a 5-3 edge. Jack Dallas picked up the win in relief, and Estibenzon Jimenez closed it out for his sixth save.
Pitching carried game two. Bryson Ware‘s RBI double in the second held up as the only run for five innings, with starter Luke Russo firing five scoreless frames and striking out six for his eleventh win. Raider Tello added insurance with a two-run double in the sixth. Reading’s defense backed the shutout — Carson DeMartini picked a runner off third, and Raylin Heredia threw out a runner at second to rob an extra-base hit. Wen-Hui Pan finished it for his second save.
The sweep improved Reading to 63-61. The Fightin Phils return to the field Sunday against Binghamton, with Adam Seminaris starting the series finale opposite Gabe Davis.
Jersey Shore BlueClaws
Four BlueClaws pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout as Jersey Shore blanked the Wilmington Blue Rocks 2-0 Saturday night at ShoreTown Ballpark, snapping a three-game losing streak and setting up a chance to split the six-game series Sunday.
The win came a day after Wilmington swept a doubleheader from Jersey Shore, 8-1 and 11-2, so Saturday’s shutout was a needed turnaround. Griffin Burkholder drove in the first run with a single in the opening inning, and TJayy Walton — batting leadoff for the first time this season — doubled the lead with an RBI single in the second. Walton finished with two hits and a walk.
On the mound, Brandon Beckel set the tone with 4.1 innings of two-hit ball and five strikeouts before handing off to Kevin Warunek, who retired the next five batters he faced. Cam Hill threw two scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth, and Titan Kennedy-Hayes closed it with a 1-2-3 ninth for his second save of the season. No Wilmington runner advanced past second base against the four-man effort.
No BlueClaws hitter left the yard in the win, but the combined shutout was one of Jersey Shore’s cleanest pitching performances of the stretch run. Saturday also served as the club’s Fan Appreciation Night, with a postgame fireworks show following the win.
Jersey Shore and Wilmington close out the regular season Sunday at 1:05 p.m. in the BlueClaws’ final home game of the year, with right-hander Tanner Gresham starting.
Clearwater Threshers
Saturday’s game between the Threshers and the Lakeland Flying Tigers was canceled due to rain and inclement weather that left the field at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium unplayable. No makeup date has been announced.
The postponement came a day after Clearwater clinched a Florida State League playoff berth with an 8-6 win over Lakeland on Friday — a result that also eliminated the Flying Tigers from postseason contention. With the spot locked up, the Threshers now know they’ll open the FSL playoffs against the Tampa Tarpons. Clearwater and Lakeland are set to close out their six-game series Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for noon.
Home Runs — August 29, 2026
Reading – Bryan Rincon (22)
Reading – Caleb Ricketts (10)
