Four-Run Seventh Pushes Thunder Past Sea Dogs, 9-1
April 23, 2010 - Eastern League (EL1)
Portland Sea Dogs News Release
(Trenton, NJ) - For the first five innings of Friday night's game, the Portland Sea Dogs and Trenton Thunder were matching each other pitch for pitch. Eight runs and three innings later, the score was no longer close. The Thunder scored one run in the sixth, four in the seventh, and three in the eighth, cruising to a 9-1 win at Waterfront Park.
Early on, Trenton starter D.J. Mitchell looked like he would be in for a long night. Three of the first four Portland batters reached with walks, setting the table for Lars Anderson. Anderson knocked in one of the runners, scoring Ryan Kalish with a sacrifice fly to center field. However, Mitchell pitched himself out of further damage, getting Ray Chang to ground out.
From there, the Thunder right-hander cranked his game up a few notches, allowing three base runners over his final five innings of work. Mitchell's final line featured six innings, two hits, one run, four walks, and five strikeouts. For his efforts, Mitchell earned the win, improving his record to 2-1 on the season.
In the bottom of the second, Trenton tied the game at one, becoming the first Double-A team to score an earned run against Casey Kelly. With two outs, Reid Gorecki doubled, Kevin Smith singled, and Daniel Brewer drove in Gorecki with a double to right.
Kelly also settled down, allowing that lone run on four hits and one walk, while striking out three in 3 1/3 innings. Boston's number two prospect received a no-decision.
Ryne Lawson took over for Kelly during the bottom of the fourth, and proceeded to throw 1 1/3 scoreless innings. However, the Thunder broke through in the sixth inning, when Reid Gorecki's bloop single scored Damon Sublett from second base.
In the seventh inning, the home team scored four more runs, capped off by yet another RBI single by Gorecki. Lawson was charged with all four runs in the inning, as he dropped to 0-2 on the season with the loss.
Portland was unable to recover, and Trenton went on to the 9-1 win.
The Sea Dogs and Thunder will play game three of their four-game series on Saturday night at 7:05. Stephen Fife (0-1, 4.00) will make the start for Portland, going up against Trenton's Ryan Pope (0-1, 4.20).
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