NH Fisher Cats take Friday night series-opener.
MANCHESTER, NH – The New Hampshire Fisher Cats pounded out 10 hits and the bullpen allowed just one hit over four innings to lead the Fisher Cats to a well-rounded 4-1 win over the Trenton Thunder May 8. The victory is the team’s second in a row, and improves its record to 12-3 at home to begin the 2015 season.
The Fisher Cats broke open a scoreless game in the bottom of the third inning. With one out, four straight runners reached base, highlighted by run-scoring knocks courtesy of Dwight Smith Jr. and Kevin Nolan. A two-out double by Matt Newman plated a third run for a 3-0 lead.
Trenton answered against starting pitcher Casey Lawrence (W; 2-3) in the top of the fifth. Two singles and a ground out set the stage for Jose Rosario, who poked a base hit to right field to put the Thunder on the board, 3-1.
Jake Fox quickly took the run back for Lawrence in the bottom of the fifth. A towering home run to left field pushed the lead back to 4-1 and moved Fox into second place in the Eastern League with five home runs.
Lawrence went five innings, allowing just one run before turning it over to the bullpen. Scott Barnes, Greg Burke, Luis Perez, and Blake McFarland (Save, 4) worked the final four innings, combining for one hit and five strikeouts to seal the victory.
Jon Berti continued his hot month of May with three more hits. He now has 14 hits in the first seven games this month. Smith Jr. added two hits while Newman’s 20th RBI took over the team lead from Fox.
The series continues on May 9 with a Saturday night game at 5:35 p.m. with Princesses and Pirates Night, plus the opportunity to win prizes playing USA Subs Baseball Bingo. It’s also a Reading Challenge game thanks to Velcro USA Inc. To purchase tickets, visit www.nhfishercats.com.
Taylor Cole will start for the Fisher Cats in search of his first victory. The Thunder are expected to start right-hander Eric Ruth. Radio coverage begins at 5:15 p.m. with Bob Lipman on the WGIR Fisher Cats Radio Network and at www.nhfishercats.com.
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