South Jersey Baseball:
Thunder Win 6th Straight; Pavano Leaves After One Inning

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

By Dan Loney
Trenton Thunder Director of Public Relations

(Trenton, NJ)- Randy Ruiz went 4-for-5, including a two-run homer in the 8th Inning, to lead the Trenton Thunder to a 7-3 win over the Portland Sea Dogs on Wednesday. But the game was noted by N.Y. Yankees RHP Carl Pavano working just one inning on his second rehab start with the Thunder.

Pavano, who was 16-5 for Trenton in 1996 and was Eastern League "Pitcher of the Year", left after just one inning. He retired the Sea Dogs in order on a total of nine pitches. He will be re-evaluated by N.Y. Yankees medical personnel.

The Sea Dogs (19-17) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 2nd Inning off Thunder reliever Jeremy King. LF Tyler Minges collected a two-out double that scored RF Brandon Moss, who had walked. The Thunder (17-21) answered back with a pair of runs in the bottom half. 3B Kevin Howard tripled home C Omir Santos. LF Rudy Guillen added a solo homer later in the inning. The Trenton lead went to 3-1 in the 5th Inning after a two-out triple by RF Bronson Sardinha and an infield hit by Ruiz.

Portland made it a 3-2 game in the 6th Inning on a Chad Spann RBI single, but the Thunder got that run back in the bottom half on a fielder'c choice ground ball by LF Rudy Guillen. An RBI single by C Omir Santos in the 7th Inning gave Trenton a 5-2 lead. After the Sea Dogs got a run in the top of the eighth, Ruiz launched his two-run homer off Sea Dogs reliever Victor Ramos for a 7-3 lead.

Justin Pope came on to get the final out of the 8th Inning and then work the 9th Inning to record his 2nd save. The win went to Trenton's Jeremy King (2-1), who followed Pavano and allowed one run in three innings of work.

The Thunder have Thursday off before starting a three-game series in Bowie, MD on Friday against the Baysox. Tyler Clippard (1-5, 4.00) starts the series opener for the Thunder against Bowie's Craig Anderson (3-0, 2.28).