A third-inning rally backed another outstanding Thunder pitching performance Friday night at Prince George’s Stadium, leading the Trenton Thunder to a 5-2 win over the Bowie Baysox in Game 4 of the Eastern League Championship Series on Friday night to clinch the Eastern League title.
The league championship is the fourth in Thunder franchise history, and the team’s first since 2013.
A three-run second inning for the Thunder began when Kellin Deglan wrapped a solo home run around the left field foul pole. Rashad Crawford later lined an RBI-single and score on a ground-rule double to right field by Zack Zehner, giving the Thunder a 3-0 lead. The rally knocked Bowie starter Tyler Herb (0-1) from the game after just two innings.
Chris Gittens padded the lead with a towering solo homer to right-center in the third, giving him a home run in two straight games to finish the year.
Rony Garcia (1-0) took a no-hit bid through five innings as the Thunder’s starter. The right-hander retired 15 of the 16 batters he faced, with a leadoff walk to Mason McCoy in the third inning giving the Baysox their only baserunner off Garcia. He struck out six in the five-inning gem.
Rehabbing Yankees right-hander Dellin Betances pitched the sixth, retiring the first two Bowie batters before surrendering a solo home run to Cedric Mullins, erasing the Thunder no-hit bid after five and two-third innings.
Isiah Gilliam produced the final Thunder insurance run of the evening on a seventh-inning RBI-single off Diogenes Almengo.
Greg Weissert, Trevor Lane, and Daniel Alvarez each pitched one inning of relief behind Betances. Alvarez allowed a one-out solo homer to Anderson Feliz in the ninth before eventually getting Jesmuel Valentin to pop out to second baseman Hoy Jun Park, sealing the league title for the Thunder.
Your Thunder will open their 2020 season at home against the Harrisburg Senators on Thursday, April 9. For information visit TrentonThunder.com or call 609-394-3300.
