Trenton Thunder won 7-6 to sweep Williamsport yesterday move to 4-3 on the season and 3-0 at home. This game was crazy throughout with 15 wild pitches. The attendance for yesterday's game was 7,286 which is a great turnout on a Thursday night.
Williamsport catcher Micheietti struggled blocking the ball, Trenton Thunder took advantage of that to score runs in a different way. The walks were also an issue for both teams yesterday. Williamsport almost came back, took advantage of Trenton Thunder's mistakes but fell short at the end.
St Johns' product/graduate student Jo Jo Rodriguez was the starting pitcher for Trenton Thunder who was lights out till the 5th inning where he struggled with command a little. His pitching line yesterday was 4.2 innings, four hits, one run, one walk and six strikeouts. Rodirguez's season ERA is now at 1.17.
Alec Whaley picked up the win (2-0) as he went 1.1 innings, allowing one hit, one run (zero earned), two walks and one strikeout. Malcolm Gilchrist went 0.1 innings, allowing one hit, four runs and three walks. Dan Kiritsis got the hold (H) as he allowed no hits, no runs and two walks in 0.2 innings. Joan Gonzalez picked up his first save of the season as he allowed one hit, no runs, and three strikeouts in 2.0 innings of work. His ERA dropped to 1.80 on the season with his performance.
Rodriguez was drafted by the Reds back in 2019 and should be a prospect to watch with more performances like that. He showed great command with a fastball, changeup and breaking ball. Rodriguez has no fear on the mound, which should help his stock and the Trenton Thunder this season.
Cole Weintraub from the MLB Draft League compared Rodriguez to Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers yesterday which is a great comparison. If Rodriguez keeps pitching the way he did yesterday, his draft stock will continue to rise as all teams are looking to add depth to their rotation. St John's produces amazing talent when it comes to baseball as they have a great program and coaching staff who knows what they are doing and are well organized.
In the game of baseball, there are bunch of ways to win. Trenton Thunder's offense did just that yesterday combining with three RBIs, drawing walks, taking advantage of the wild pitches, stealing bases, getting timely hits and jumping on the bad pitches. So far during this home stand, the offense has looks dangerous and well rounded, as they seem to be feeding off the fans' energy. Manager Jeff Manto has them clicking on all cylinders right now which a great sign early in the season.
After this sweep, Trenton Thunder is on a three-game winning streak and sit a game above at 4-3. Things are looking up for them as a team. The Trenton Thunder are playing much better baseball after that 1-3 start on the road.
Trenton Thunder Will Continue the Home Stand Tonight At 7:00 Pm Where They Welcome Fredrick Keys into Town. Trenton Thunder struggled against them on the road already this year, but Trenton Thunder looks like a different team now and not worried about Fredrick Keys.
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