Trenton scored the go-ahead run in the top of the 12th inning and held on for a 4-3 win over New Britain on Saturday night from New Britain Stadium. Trenton is now one game behind New Britain for second place in the Northern Division with two games to play. Trenton needs to win the final two games of the series to advance to the Eastern League playoffs.
With the game tied 3-3 in the 12th inning, Center fielder Austin Krum led off the frame with a walk. He advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Second baseman Matt Cusick. Krum moved to third base on an error by New Britain Shortstop Steve Singleton. Krum scored on a sacrifice fly RBI by First baseman Chris Malec. Trenton Reliever Kanekoa Texeira (9-6) earned the win with 2 1/3 innings of shutout relief. New Britain Reliever Frank Mata (2-5) took the loss by allowing the go-ahead run in the 12th. Texeira retired Catcher Wilson Ramos on a ground-out for the final out of the game. Ramos had the game-winning hit off of Texeira on Friday. The Rock Cats had the potential winning run at third base with one out in the 11th inning against Texeira, but he was able to work out of the jam.
Trenton took a 2-0 lead in the third inning. Left fielder James Cooper led off the frame with a single. He moved to third base on an error by New Britain Starting Pitcher Matt Fox. Fox fielded a ground ball off the bat of Center fielder Austin Krum, but threw wildly down the first base line. Krum advanced to second base on the error. Second baseman Matt Cusick followed with a two-run double to give the Thunder a 2-0 lead. The Thunder increased the lead to 3-0 in the fifth inning. Cooper started the inning by reaching on an error. He advanced to second base on a single by Krum. Later in the frame, Shortstop Eduardo Nunez drove in Krum with an opposite field single.
New Britain got a run back in the bottom of the fifth inning on a two-out RBI double by Third baseman Ramon Santana. The Rock Cats tightened the score to 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning. With two outs, Left fielder Brian Dinkelman singled. He scored on an RBI double by Second baseman Alejandro Machado. Machado moved to third base on a throwing error after the hit. An RBI double by Designated Hitter Erik Lis scored Machado to tie the game at 3-3.
Fox hurled 5 2/3 innings in his fifth start of the season against the Thunder. He scattered eight hits and three runs (two earned). Fox struck out seven and walked two. Trenton Starting Pitcher Ryan Pope went 7 2/3 innings and yielded five hits and three runs for a no-dceision.
The lead-off hitter reached base for Trenton during seven straight innings (third inning through ninth inning). Trenton left 10 men on base. The Thunder had five players with multi-hit games.
Trenton and New Britain play the third game of their season-ending four-game series on Sunday afternoon from New Britain Stadium. RHP Jason Stephens (1-1, 2.45) will start for Trenton against New Britain RHP Mike McCardell (4-2, 3.83).
