South Jersey Baseball:
S.Duncan Homers Twice Again in Thunder 8-5 Win

Sunday, June 11, 2006

By Dan Loney
Trenton Thunder Director of Public Relations

(Reading, PA)- For the second straight day, Thunder LF Shelley Duncan launched a pair home runs to lead the Thunder to a win. Sunday, the home runs and five RBI helped Trenton beat Reading by an 8-5 score.

Reading (25-36) jumped out to a 1st Inning with four runs off Thunder starter Jeff Karstens. After a leadoff single, Phillies OF Joey hammond ripped a two-run homer for the lead. An RBI single by RF Gary Burnham and a sacrifice fly from 1B Brandon Gemoll made it a 4-0 game. The Thunder got runs back in the 2nd and 3rd innings on a bases-loaded walk to SS J.T. Stotts and the first of the two homers by Shelley Duncan. R-Phils 2B Carlos Leon hit a solo homer off Karstens in the 4th Inning for a 5-2 lead. But Karstens (2-0) settled down after that and worked six innings for the win. He allowed five runs on eight hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.

Reading starter Scott Mathieson worked through five innings with the lead, giving up two runs in five innings. He walked six and struck out three. Trenton (31-31) grabbed the lead in the 6th Inning scoring six runs. They loaded the bases and scored their first run on a walk by reliever Tim McClaskey to DH Vince Faison. After a pitching change, Duncan launched a grand slam homer off Nick Evangelista for a 7-5 lead. A throwing error by Reading CF Michael Bourn allowed the eighth run to score.

McClaskey (1-3) took the loss charged with four runs on two hits and two walks in 1/3 inning. The Thunder closed out the gap with three scoreless innings from Jeff Kennard and Justin Pope. Pope worked the 9th Inning for his ninth save of the season.