South Jersey Baseball:
Thunder Make It Five Wins in a Row

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

By Dan Loney
Trenton Thunder Director of Public Relations

(Trenton, NJ)- Justin Christian scored on a fielder's choice by J.T. Stotts in the 11th Inning to give Trenton a 2-1 win over the Portland Sea Dogs on Tuesday afternoon. The five wins in a row ties the Thunder longest win streak of the season.

Christian started the 11th Inning with a double off Portland reliever Devern Hansack. After an intentional walk, Stotts failed on two bunt tries, but Christian then stole 3rd Base. Stotts hit a ground ball to SS Keoni DeRenne whose throw to the plate was late. The win was the second in extra innings for Thunder (16-21). Hansack (1-2) allowed one run in one innings for the loss.

Portland (19-17) took a 1-0 lead in the 2nd Inning thanks to a solo homer from 3B Chad Spann off Trenton starter Philip Hughes. But that would be the only run allowed by Hughes over five innings. He allowed three hits with four walks and five strikeouts. Trenton came back to tie the game in the 7th Inning on a Gabe Lopez RBI single that scored LF Vince Faison.

The Sea Dogs had a chance to win the game in the ninth, but failed on a suicide squeeze as the Thunder pitched out and then tagged RF Brandon Moss. Portland went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and are 0-for-20 in the first two games of the series.

The Trenton bullpen again performed well. Justin Pope (1-0) got the win with two scoreless innings of relief. His work came afer T.J. Beam tossed four shutout innings.

The series concludes on Wednesday at 7:05 PM. Carl Pavano (1-0, 1.50) makes his second rehab start for the Thunder. He will be opposed by Portland's Kason Gabbard (4-1, 3.13).

Thunder Notes...

- The scoreless innings streak for the Trenton bullpen ran itself to 30.1 IP today with the six scoreless innings by Beam and Pope.

- This was the fifth "walkoff" win for Trenton this season. The Thunder had 13 "walkoff" wins in their first year as a Yankees affiliate (2003).