(Trenton, NJ) – The 2022 head-to-head matchups between the Trenton Thunder and Williamsport Crosscutters have been about as even as humanly possible, and on Wednesday night the Crosscutters tied their three-game series with a 6-4 win before a crowd of 4,242 at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. Through 18 meetings, both team have nine wins with the series finale coming up on Thursday and two more series coming up before the end of the regular season on September 4.
Williamsport scored in the first for the second straight night and scratched an unearned run off Thunder starter William Saxton. The Thunder stormed back to tie it in the home half without even registering a hit off Blair Frederick, who battled a few wild spells but ultimately held the Thunder lineup down over five-and-two-thirds.
The Crosscutters scored three more times in the second to take the lead for good, which was surprising given that Saxton looked like he was well on his way to retire the side in order. Unfortunately, a dropped third strike on **Jesse Hall **allowed the inning to continue, and they capitalized with a double steal, a wild pitch, and a run-scoring single from Nemo Wright.
Trenton tacked on another run in the second because of an error from shortstop **Travis Holt **and got within a run when **Christian Merriwether **lifted a sacrifice fly to center field in the bottom of the third. That score held until the sixth inning, when Hall singled home Holt after a leadoff double against reliever Adrien Reese. Again, the Thunder got closer in the home half when **Shemar Page **singled home **Jonathan Waite **after a leadoff double to make it 5-4.
In the top of the seventh, Holt’s fielder’s choice RBI groundout pushed the lead to 6-4, giving the shortstop a run batted in and two hits in back-to-back games. The backend of Trenton’s bullpen was spectacular once again with **Ray Weber **and Hunter Waldis working a scoreless eighth and ninth. The Thunder had a prime chance to tie the score in the eighth against lefthander Brandon Kaminer, who walked **Mark Herron **and Merriwether to put the tying runs on base. A sacrifice bunt from **Jeff Manto **pushed them into scoring position, but Kaminer struck out Page and **Blake Svoboda **recorded the last four outs for his second save.
The second-to-last homestand of the 2022 Thunder season wraps up on Thursday, August 18 at 7:00 PM when your Thunder celebrate all things Garden State on NJ Night with Postgame Fireworks presented by NJEA! It's also Hockey Night at Trenton Thunder Ballpark with special appearances from the New Jersey Devil Mascot, Kendall Cornine and Catherine Crawley from the Metropolitan Riveters, and Russ Colton from the Tampa Bay Lightning! We're giving out special prizes all game long from NHL teams and the NHL Network! 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 | 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.
