Defenders Wrap Up Season with 4-3 loss
September 1, 2008 - Eastern League (EL1)
Connecticut Defenders News Release
TRENTON, NJ- A season of peaks and valleys came to a weird end on Monday. The Defenders fell to the Trenton Thunder 4-3 for the third consecutive time over the Labor Day weekend.
It was only fitting that the All Star pitcher in Joey Martinez took the hill for the Defenders in their final game. Entering the finale he was in second place behind Trenton's Phil Coke (no longer in the league) for the best ERA in the league.
With no tomorrow in the future, Connecticut got out to an early start as Olmo Rosario leadoff with a double and was sacrificed over to third on a Richardson bunt. Rosario later scored on a double by Alfonzo into left center field to give the Defenders a 1-0 advantage.
Martinez gave up a leadoff double in the home half of the first to Reegie Corona but quickly helped out his own cause. He stroke out Pena, got Jackson to chop one back to him than got Corona in a run down for the second out, than capped it off another chopper back to the mound to get out of the inning. Martinez pitched only three and two thirds innings allowing only one hit and striking out one. More importantly, he finished with a 2.49 ERA which is the lowest in the Eastern League.
Trenton struck the scoreboard in the fifth off of reliever Adam Cowart. Kevin Russo reached on an error, Pilittere singled and Gonzalez doubled to plate one. Corona would drive in Pilittere with a sac fly to center to give Trenton the lead at 2-1.
In the sixth, Paul Oseguera gave up three consecutive singles, the last coming off the bat of Chris Malec to score Russo and give the Thunder a 3-1 advantage.
The Defenders responded in the seventh as they got to Garcia. Three consecutive walks to the top of the order drove Garcia to the bench and newcomer Mike Dunn came in making his double A debut. He got Alfonzo to fly out but gave up a double down the left field line to Witter to score two runs and tie the game at 3-3.
The Thunder took the lead back very fast in bottom of the seventh as James Cooper blasted a triple to left on the first pitch he saw from Ronnie Ray. Reegie Corona took the second pitch of the inning and sent a base hit to left to plate Cooper and give Trenton the lead back at 4-3.
Connecticut and Trenton finished up their sixteen meetings of the year with an even 8-8 record while the Defenders wrapped up their season with final record of 68-73.
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