(Trenton, NJ) – During a difficult week in which they dropped five out of six, the Thunder reversed course in Sunday’s series finale against the Spikes at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. With 4,718 fans on hand to take in the Father’s Day matinee, Trenton rallied from deficits of 4-0 and 5-4 to salvage the weekend with a resounding 12-5 win. Five Thunder players finished with two hits, including Ryan McCarthy, who put the finishing touches on a five-run bottom of the eighth with a three-run bomb to right for his first dinger of the season.
Thunder starter **Cole Patten **surrendered the game’s first run three batters in on an RBI single from Spikes third baseman Ty Hill. The visitors soon made it 4-0 in the second, getting three straight singles at the outset, with the final one from **Lukas Cook **plating the second run. A bases loaded walk to **Lyndon Weaver **and a sacrifice fly from **Keshawn Ogans **made it seem like the Thunder were headed for a long and torturous day at the ballpark. However, Patten worked through some trouble during his final inning in the third, stranding the bases loaded when **Ryan Blackwell **grounded out to second to end the threat.
After loading the bases to begin the bottom of the third, **Nate Ochoa’s **double play ball up the middle got Trenton their first run off Spikes starter Mason Olson. A short time later, RBI base hits from **Jonny Weaver **and **Dalton Davis **got the Thunder within a run. **Mason Hammonds’ **infield single to third produced a throwing error from Hill, and Davis scored the tying run to make it a whole new ballgame.
The Spikes regained the lead in the top of the sixth during **Joan Gonzalez’ **third and final inning of relief. After departing with the bases loaded and just one out, Dan Kiritsis(1-1) came on in relief and walked in the go-ahead run before recording the next two outs on just two pitches. **Justin Stewart **and **Alec Whaley **worked the eighth and ninth, with Whaley originally warming up for a save opportunity during the bottom of the eighth.
A second inning of Spikes reliever **Josh Bortka **(0-1)proved to be much more fruitful for the Thunder after the big righthander struck out the side in the fifth. In the sixth, the Thunder chased him on a two-RBI double from **Andrew Cossetti **and another two-bagger from **Jorge Bojorquez **that put up three runs for a 7-5 Thunder lead.
All nine came to the plate in the bottom of the eighth, which ended with five runs on five hits to put the game away for the Thunder (7-8). With two outs, **Colby Backus **scored a run with a single, **Tate Ballestero **tacked on another with a double, and McCarthy blasted a three-run shot to right that left the bat at more than 103 MPH.
The Thunder return home for a three-game series against the first place Mahoning Valley Scrappers from June 28-30! To purchase tickets, call (609)-394-3300, Opt 4 or visit trentonthunder.com.
New Jersey's Baseball Team | Big League Futures. Major League Fun
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.
