TRENTON – Propelled by a career-high 11 strikeouts from starter Erik Swanson and three first inning runs, the Thunder defeated the Harrisburg Senators by a score of 3-1 at ARM & HAMMER Park on Monday night.
The 24-year old Swanson, who was acquired from the Rangers in August of 2016 as part of the Carlos Beltran haul, was locked in from the very first pitch. The right-hander struck out the side in the first frame, all of them swinging.
The Thunder pounced quickly to support their starter. A first inning RBI single from first baseman Matt Snyder and a well-struck two-run double from second baseman Bruce Caldwell put the Thunder ahead 3-0. They would never look back.
Swanson improved to an Eastern League-best 4-0 and lowered his ERA to a league low 0.87 mark with seven dominant innings in Monday. He allowed just one earned run on three hits with one walk and 11 strikeouts in his masterful 89-pitch outing.
Southpaw Caleb Frare navigated through two scoreless frames in relief to notch his second save of the season.
