South Jersey Baseball:
Childers Shut Down Reading in 4-2 Win

Thursday, August 3, 2006

By Dan Loney
Trenton Thunder Director of Public Relations

(Reading, PA)- Matt Childers allowed one run over seven innings to earn his 1st Trenton win as the Thunder beat Reading, 4-2, on Thursday night. The win keeps the Thunder in 2nd Place, 1/2 game behind the Binghamton Mets.

Trenton (59-51), now in sole possession of 2nd Place after a Portland loss, took a 1-0 lead in the 3rd Inning. 3B Grant Plumley led off the inning with a double against Reading starter J.A. Happ. After a strikeout, 2B Gabe Lopez singled to left field and plated Plumley for a 1-0 lead. Reading (54-55) came back to tie the game in the 4th Inning on a Gary Burnham solo homer. But that was the only run allowed by Childers (1-1) on the night. He scattered five hits with two walks and six strikeouts for the win.

The Thunder then extended their lead with three runs in the 7th Inning. Trenton loaded the bases with one out against Happ, who then hit LF Matt Carson in the helmet with a pitch. That forced in a run to put the Thunder ahead, 2-1. RF Vince Faison later added a to-run single for a 4-1 lead. Happ (5-2) took the loss allowing four runs and four hits in six innings.

Charlie Manning worked a scoreless 8th inning for Trenton with J.B. Cox coming on in the 9th Inning for his 2nd save. Cox did allow a homer to Burnham, his 2nd of the night, in the ninth.

Trenton returns home to face Bowie on Friday to open a four-game series. The series opener will have Jason Jones (1-2, 5.16) starts for Trenton against Bowie's Beau Hale (2-2, 2.25).