Thunder Falter, Key Series with Reading Looms

RICHMOND, VA – The Trenton Thunder took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning Sunday against the Richmond Flying Squirrels, but the Thunder found themselves trailing the rest of the way after a three-run inning in a 6-4 loss.

Leading up to the All-Star Break, the Trenton Thunder jumped ahead early off Richmond starting pitcher Matt Gage. The offense notched six hits and a pair of runs off the lefty in the first two innings to stake starter Daniel Camarena to a 2-0 lead.

After allowing just two hits through four scoreless innings, Camarena was tagged for a run in the fifth inning, but the Thunder offense stretched the lead once more with a run in the top of the sixth inning to make it a 3-1 advantage.

The three-run sixth inning for Richmond featured a game-tying two-run homer by Ryder Jones  with two outs, and a go-ahead two-run double by Jeff Arnold for a 4-3 lead. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Jones doubled home two more runs to give the Squirrels a 6-3 cushion heading into the ninth..

With one out in the ninth inning, the Thunder had two men on against Rodolfo Martinez and Kyle Higashioka at bat. He launched a fly ball to the wall in left field which was caught by Darren Ford – needing a few more feet to tie the game. Sebastian Valle strode to the plate representing the game’s tying run following the sac fly, and he bounced out to Brandon Bednar at second base to end the game.

The roadtrip concludes with a 3-4 record for the Thunder. After splitting a four-game series with the Bowie Baysox, Richmond takes 2-of-3 from the Thunder – a pair of games in which the Thunder lost leads in the middle innings.

The Trenton Thunder pile on the bus and ride back to Trenton, N.J. where they will enjoy a three-day All-Star break starting Monday night. The team returns to action Thursday night at ARM & HAMMER Park against the Reading Fightin Phils come to town for the first of a four-game series between the top two teams in the East Division.

First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. with postgame fireworks presented by Comcast SportsNet. Pregame coverage begins on 91.3 FM, 1490 AM and online at www.trentonthunder.com.