Trenton Sweeps Senators to Capture E.L. Championship

Harrisburg, PA - The Trenton Thunder used a five-run third inning to propel them to an 11-4 victory over the Harrisburg Senators at Metro Bank Park, clinching the Eastern League Championship in a three-game sweep. It is Trenton's third league title. They went 6-0 in the playoffs, defeating the Binghamton Mets in the divisional round before eliminating the Senators.  

The Senators took an early 1-0 lead in the first on an RBI single by Justin Bloxom. However, with two out in the third for the Thunder and one on, Nathan Karns hit Jose Pirela with an 0-2 pitch and it was downhill from there for the Senators. The next six hitters all reached, the big blow being Tyler Austin's RBI triple. Karns didn't make it out of the inning, lasting just two and two-thirds.

Trenton added to its lead in the fifth on a two-run homer off the bat of Ali Castillo, who was named the playoff MVP. He went 5-for-10 in the championship series and 8-for-21 in the playoffs with five RBIs.

The Senators battled back with a pair of runs in the sixth on Jeff Howell's two-run single, but left two runners on base and could not inch any closer. On the night, they went just 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position and stranded 13 base runners.

Ricky Hague had three of Harrisburg's 14 hits to lead the way for the Senators. Billy Burns, Brian Goodwin, Sean Nicol, and Jason Martinson delivered two hits apiece.