Goats' Late Inning Lightning Stops Thunder From Making History

Hartford, CT- Brian Mundell's eighth inning, bloop single down the right field line snapped a 1-1 tie and lifted the Hartford Yard Goats to a thrilling 2-1 victory over the first place Trenton Thunder, Friday night, before a sellout crowd of 6,582 fans at Dunkin' Donuts Park. The Yard Goats' win snapped Trenton's 12-game winning streak, one shy of the franchise record. The sellout crowd was Hartford's 18th of the season. All seven Friday night games have been sellouts.

Billy Fleming's lead off home run to left center in the seventh inning gave the Thunder a 1-0 lead in a pitcher's duel between Hartford lefty Jack Wynkoop and Trenton righty Zach Littell. But the Yard Goats tied it in the their half of the frame on a lead off double by Drew Weeks, a single by Mundell, a bunt single by Max White and a bases loaded ground out by Josh Fuentes.
The game took a dramatic turn in the eighth inning, when D.J. Johnson relieved Wynkoop with two outs and a runner on base, to face American League All-Star Starlin Castro, playing for the Yankees' affiliate on a rehab assignment. Castro was robbed of a run-scoring hit on a spectacular running catch in right center by Dillion Thomas. Two walks by reliever Cody Carroll and a sac bunt set the stage for Mundell's winning hit in the bottom of the eighth.
All-Star Shane Broyles pitched a perfect ninth inning, including two strike outs, to nail down his 12th save and preserve Johnson's first win as a Yard Goat.
Mundell and Weeks each had two hits for Hartford. Wynkoop pitched 7.2 innings, allowing one run on five hits. He did not walk anybody and struck out four.
Castro went 1-for-4 for Trenton in his rehab assignment.
Game three of the series is Saturday night at 6:35 p.m.  Righthander Parker French will pitch for the Yard Goats against righthander Domingo Acevedo for the Trenton Thunder. The game can be heard on AM 1410 WPOP and on iHeart Radio.