Trenton Thunder News

PORTLAND – In a game that featured 14 walks and took nearly three and one-half hours to play, the Thunder failed to hold on to 4-0 and 6-2 leads, and fell to the Portland Sea Dogs, 8-6, in front of 6,315 fans at Hadlock Field.

Chris Clark (4-2), the second of four Portland pitchers, got the win as he went three innings, and gave up two hits, three walks, two runs, and no strikeouts. Danny Lampley (1-1), the third of four Thunder pitchers, suffered the loss, as he allowed three hits, one walk, four runs, three earned, and three strikeouts in one and two-thirds innings. Bobby Rodgers pitched the ninth inning for his 16th save.

The Thunder built a lead in the when RJ Johnson led off the game against Portland starter Gary Knotts with a walk, went to second when Aaron Capista was hit by a pitch, took third on Jorge DeLeon`s double play grounder, and scored on a passed ball to catcher Brandon Harper. They added two more in the second on Luis Rodriguez`s sacrifice fly to score Tony DeRosso and RJ Johnson`s single to drive in Marc Lewis. In the fifth, Tony DeRosso`s sacrifice fly sent Jorge DeLeon home, and the Thunder had a 4-0 lead.

After Thunder starter Rob Radlosky was relieved by Jim Dedrick, Todd Betts` fifth inning double drove home Brandon Harper with the Sea Dogs` first run. Harper`s single in the home sixth scored Derek Wathan to cut the Thunder lead to 4-2.

In the Thunder seventh against Sea Dogs relief pitcher Chris Clark, RJ Johnson walked, stole second, and scored on Jorge DeLeon`s single to give the Thunder a 5-2 advantage. Virgil Chevalier then singled DeLeon to third. Later, Chevalier was caught in a rundown between first and second base, but stayed in it long enough for DeLeon to scamper home, and the Thunder`s lead had grown to 6-2.

When Todd Betts walked and Chris Norton singled to begin the home seventh, Danny Lampley was brought in from the Thunder bullpen. Matt Erickson doubled in both runners, and the Thunder lead was cut to 6-4. Cesar Crespo reached on an infield single, and stole second. A Lampley wild pitch scored Erickson to make it 6-5, and Crespo took third. Then, with the infield drawn in, Derek Wathan sent a groundball to second, but Crespo beat DeLeon`s throw home, and the game was tied at 6-6. Pinch-hitter Randy Rigsby bunted Wathan to second. Pablo Ozuna sent a grounder to shortstop Aaron Capista, but his thrown was wild, and on the error, Ozuna scored the go-ahead run and made it 7-6 Portland.

The Sea Dogs made it 8-6 in the eighth on Cesar Crespo`s two-out single to drive in Matt Erickson, who had walked and stolen second.

The Thunder got runners to first and second in the ninth with one out, but Sea Dogs` closer Bobby Rodgers struck out Virgil Chevalier and Garry Maddox, and the Sea Dogs won the game, 8-6.

The Thunder (53-58) and the Sea Dogs (52-57) will play again on Sunday, August 6. The Thunder will pitcher Justin Duchscherer (6-7) against Portland`s Scott Comer (4-9). Game time is set for 1:00 p.m. at Hadlock Field.

Visit the Thunder at www.trentonthunder.com

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Author: Courtesy of the Trenton Thunder