New Hampshire Cats Rally from Five Down to Defeat the Trenton Thunder, 9-8

MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com –Manchester, NH- The New Hampshire Fisher Cats rallied back from an early 5-0 deficit to tie the Trenton Thunder, 5-5, after three innings, and Travis Snider belted his 15th home run and tied a franchise record by drawing four walks, but the Thunder escaped with a 9-8 victory over the Fishers before 5,963 fans at Merchantsauto.com Stadium on Monday night.
 
Trenton (63-37) knocked New Hampshire starter Kenny Rodriguez out of the box after two-thirds of an inning by scoring five times.  Chris Malec (2-for-5, 2 R, RBI) hit an RBI single, and P.J. Pilittere (2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R) and Edwar Gonzalez (1-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R) both hit two-run doubles, giving the Thunder a commanding 5-0 lead.
 
Rodriguez allowed five runs on four hits and two walks before yielding to eventual losing pitcher Julio Pinto with two outs and a runner on second base.  Pinto struck out James Cooper (1-for-4, 2 RBI, BB) to end the lengthy top of the first inning.
 
New Hampshire (40-61) began mounting its comeback against Trenton starter George Kontos in the bottom of the first inning when David Smith (1-for-3, BB, HBP, 2 RBI), batting with two outs, lined a bases-loaded single to centerfield, scoring Scott Campbell (3-for-4, 2 2B, 2 BB, 3 R) and Snider (1-for-2, HR, 4 BB, 3 R, 2 RBI), trimming the deficit to 5-2.
 
The Fisher Cats made it 5-3 in the bottom of the second inning when Campbell doubled with two outs and scored on an Eric Nielsen (1-for-6, RBI) single to left field.

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New Hampshire tied the game, 5-5, in the bottom of the third inning when Smith was hit by a pitch, Kyle Phillips (1-for-2, 2B, SF, 2 BB, R, RBI) walked and Andrew Pinckney (1-for-4, BB) singled to load the bases.  Ryan Klosterman (1-for-5, RBI) followed with an infield single, scoring Smith.  Phillips raced home with the tying run when Trenton shortstop Ramiro Pena threw wildly attempting to cut him down at third base.
 
Kontos was lifted after allowing five runs -four earned- on five hits, five walks, three strikeouts and a hit batsman in three innings. 
 
The Thunder reclaimed the lead in the top of the fifth inning against Pinto when Malec and Colin Curtis (2-for-5, R) led off with back-to-back singles.  Pinto was lifted after walking Cody Ehlers (2-for-3, 2B, 2 BB, R). Reliever Jared Gothreaux served up a bases-loaded, two-run single to Cooper, making it a 7-5 Trenton advantage.
 
Pinto (4-3) went 3.2 innings, allowing two runs on three hits.  He struck out two and walked one.
 
A Phillips sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth inning off reliever Zach Kroenke scored Snider, cutting the Thunder lead to 7-6.  The run was charged to winning pitcher Anthony Claggett (2-0), who allowed one run in two-plus innings.  He struck out one and walked three.
 
Trenton tacked on two insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning when Ramiro Pena (1-for-5, 2 RBI) laced a two-out, two-run single off Gothreaux, plating Pilittere and Gonzalez for a 9-6 lead.
 
After Campbell singled off Jose Valdez in the bottom of the ninth inning, Snider sent his club-leading 15th home run onto the access road in right, drawing New Hampshire to within 9-8.  But Valdez retired J.P. Arencibia (1-for-6) and Smith to earn his first career Double-A save.

Box Score: http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_07_21_treaax_nhmaax_1

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