South Jersey Baseball:
Thunder Slam Three Homers To Beat Reading, 5-3

Saturday, June 10, 2006

By Dan Loney
Trenton Thunder Director of Public Relations

(Reading, PA)- Shelley Duncan hit a pair of solo homers, along with one from Gabe Lopez, as the Thunder beat Reading, 5-3, on Saturday. The two homers give Duncan the Eastern League lead in home runs with 13.

Trenton (30-31) scored a run in each of the first three innings off Reading starter Zach Segovia. In the 1st Inning, Eric Duncan doubled home Lopez, who led off the game with a single. Lopez then added an RBI single in the 2nd Inning to score 3B Kevin Howard, who had been hit by a pitch. Shelley Duncan then led off the 3rd Inning with a solo homer, his 12th of the season.

Trailing 3-1, Reading (25-35) got a run back off Matt DeSalvo in the 6th Inning. They used a hit by SS Angel Chavez, a walk to LF Gary Burnham and an RBI single from C Jason Jaramillo to close the gap to 3-2. DeSalvo (1-0) allowed two runs (one earned) in 5 1/3 innings for the win.

Trenton then put the game away with solo homers by Lopez and Shelley Duncan in the 7th and 8th Innings. Lopez had four hits on the night. Reading came within 5-3 in the 8th Inning on a solo homer by Jaramillo, but Justin Pope worked a 1-2-3 9th Inning to record his 8th save.

The series concludes on Sunday at 1:05 PM. Jeff Karstens (1-0, 2.43) starts for the Thunder against Reading's Scott Mathieson (6-2, 3.01).