AKRON, OH – With late rallies, the Akron RubberDuck made a run at the Trenton Thunder in both games of Saturday’s doubleheader, but the Thunder swept the night with identical 4-3 finals.
Game 1 featured a seven-man fisst inning from the ‘Ducks against Dietrich Enns, who improved to 7-2, 1.93. With the bases loaded and one down he struck out Nellie Rodriguez before Jeremy Lucas delivered a two-run single.
Trenton’s offense responded immediately by loading the bases in the top of the second inning with a single and a pair of walks, setting the table with one out for Cito Culver. He delivered a two-run single to score Kyle Higashioka and Mark Payton, and sent Lane Adams to third base. Michael O’Neill followed with an RBI double to score Lane Adams with one out and give the Thunder a 3-2 lead. Dustin Fowler’s sacrifice fly produced a run and gave Trenton all the runs they’d need on the night.
In the seventh inning, Akron plated a run on a double by Todd Hankins and an RBI single by Bradley Zimmer to draw back to within a run at 4-3. Zimmer watched from first base as the tying run when Clint Frazier and Nellie Rodriguez struck out swinging to end the ballgame.
In Game 2, Trenton needed a late rally to secure the win. After taking a 3-0 lead, Trenton allowed the RubberDucks to score twice in the bottom of the fifth inning. It was still a 3-2 lead when Bradley Zimmer unloaded a solo home run over the batter’s eye in centerfield for his 11th homer of the season and make it 3-3.
Entering the seventh inning, the Thunder sent the top of the lineup to the plate against Casey Weathers. Tyler Wade began the inning with a bullet over the pitcher’s head for a leadoff single and he advanced into scoring position when Weathers sailed a pickoff throw into the crowd. Dustin Fowler had a productive groundout to first base to advance Wade into scoring position, and Miguel Andujar collected his fourth hit of the game to break the tie and score Wade with the winning run.
The Thunder and RubberDucks play for the final time this season at Canal Park with a scheduled 2:05 p.m. first pitch from Akron, OH. Pregame coverage begins at 1:50 p.m. on 91.3 FM and online at www.trentonthunder.com.
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