EL1 Trenton Thunder

Heathcott, Thunder Walk-Off in 12th with Win

Published on May 31, 2013 under Eastern League (EL1)
Trenton Thunder News Release


TRENTON, NJ - Slade Heathcott's fourth hit of the ballgame won the game in the 12th inning, hours after Kevin Youkilis and Mark Teixeira both exited their second night of rehab with the Thunder.

With the bases loaded and no outs in the 12th inning thanks to an error and a pair of walks, lefty reliever Ryan Robowski was summoned into the ballgame. In a tied game, 4-4, he struck out both Tyler Austin and JR Murphy to record the first two outs and hold the runners. Robowski then had centerfielder Heathcott down in an 0-2 count before Heathcott rolled a grounder to the right side of the infield. The grounder had enough steam to get past Erie's first baseman James Robbins and deflect off the dive of the second baseman Hernan Perez into shallow right field. Three hours, 35 minutes after the game began, Heathcott's single scored Ramon Flores from third base with the game-winning run.

The Thunder trailed 4-1 entering the bottom of the 9th inning, but the first three batters notched hits to make it 4-2 with runners at first and second with no outs. Neil Medchill drove a ball to the warning track to score Slade Heathcott and leave Walter Ibarra at first with one out. Ali Castillo singled Ibarra to second base. Ramon Flores then tied the game with a single that scored Ibarra with a head-first slide ahead of the throw from Erie center fielder Daniel Fields.

The win went to Francisco Rondon who escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the 9th inning without allowing a run before cruising through the 10th, 11th and 12th inning-retiring the final 10 batters he faced. With four scoreless innings, Rondon moves to 3-3 on the season.

In their second games with the Thunder, Youkilis and Teixeira both logged their first hits of their rehab stints. They exited in the 7th inning for the second straight night, and each finished 1-for-5 with a walk in the two games. Tonight, Youkilis drove home the first run for the Thunder with his RBI single in the 5th inning, which marked his first Thunder RBI in nearly 11 years. He recorded 28 RBI for the Thunder in 44 games during the 2002 season.

Starting pitcher Mikey O'Brien allowed a pair of 2nd-inning runs, but settled down and allowed none the rest of the way in six innings of work. He scattered five hits and walked three while striking out three on 82 pitches.

The win moves Trenton to a season-best six games above .500 with a 30-24 record and pushes them to a season-best six-game winning streak. Despite receiving a no-decision, Trenton has also won all five games in which O'Brien has started this season.

The Thunder and Harrisburg Senators meet for the first time this season Friday in Harrisburg, PA. They begin their three-game series at 7:00 p.m. The game features a starting pitcher matchup of LHP Matt Tracy (4-3, 5.66) for Trenton against RHP Paul Denmy (4-4, 4.17) for Harrisburg. Radio coverage on 91.3 FM (WTSR) and also streaming online begins at 6:45 p.m.

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Eastern League Stories from May 31, 2013


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