(Trenton, NJ) – Upon evaluating close to 25.0 innings between the Thunder and Crosscutters this weekend, Williamsport never allowed the Thunder to get comfortable at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. The visitors pitched well, played defense, and usually capitalized on 15 errors across the three games to pull off the weekend sweep. Needing six runs on Friday and Saturday, the Crosscutters (30-22) left town following a 5-2 win in front of a Sunday night crowd of 3,635. Damian Yenzi and Kevin Saenz both chipped in with two hits in the loss for the Thunder.
Lefthander Adrien Reese worked at a rapid pace for the Thunder and didn’t allow the game’s first run until Jesse Hall ripped a two-out single in the third. The Crosscutters nearly struck again with a pair of singles in the fourth, but Reese escaped thanks to a 4-6-3 double play up the middle that was turned by Troy Banks and Dilan Espinal.
Trenton’s lineup racked up three hits the first time through the order against Matt Gilbertson. Still down a run in the third, Saenz and Banks contributed back-to-back singles to start the inning, and Saenz tagged to third on a flyout from Espinal. Three pitches later, Christian Merriwether’s lineout back to the mound was snagged by Gilbertson (2-0), who threw back to first for the inning-ending double play. He’d finish with five strikeouts over five scoreless innings in his second appearance of the season.
The Crosscutters added three runs off Reese (0-2) in the sixth on a run scoring single from Daniel Harris and a two-RBI double by Nicholas Hussey. They’d go up 5-0 in the seventh with an unearned run off Brandon Mason, who made his debut in the opener on Friday night. In the home seventh, Yenzi’s sacrifice fly and Saenz’ groundout scored Trenton’s lone runs of the game. Logan Bowen covered an inning-and-two-thirds of scoreless relief out of Williamsport’s bullpen and Blake Svoboda finished the 5-2 win with his first save in the ninth.
The Thunder return home for a weekend series against the West Virginia Black Bears beginning Friday, August 12 at 7:00 PM. Tickets are still available for manager Jeff Manto’s pregame induction into the Trenton Baseball Hall of Fame! For full ticket pricing and information for the rest of the 2022 season, partnership/sponsorship opportunities, and information about special events at Trenton Thunder Ballpark, please visit trentonthunder.com or call the Thunder Box Office at (609) 394-3300, opt 4.
###
New Jersey's Baseball Team | Founding Member of the MLB Draft League
The Trenton Thunder have drawn over 10 million fans over 28 years and have won the three major awards that Minor League Baseball teams can win; the Johnson Trophy for the “Nation's Best Franchise”, the Larry MacPhail Trophy for Outstanding Club Promotion, and the Bob Frietas Award for Long-Term Success, given by Baseball America. The team has given back over $7.5 million worth of goods, services, and monetary donations through Trenton Thunder Charities, under the Grand Slam We Care Foundation umbrella. The Thunder can be found online at trentonthunder.com, facebook.com/trentonthunder, twitter.com/trentonthunder, and on youtube.com/AATrentonThunder.
