With Independence Day in the rearview mirror, the Trenton Thunder were back in action for the second half of the season as they found themselves in a series against the West Virginia Black Bears at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. With the Saturday's game now in the books in front of a crowd of 5,043, let's look at the three stars of the series, who's hot and who's not and what's next on the road ahead for the Thunder.
1st Star - Will Sandy
The Black Bears' pitching staff shut down Trenton on Friday, holding the Thunder to no runs on just three hits. Southpaw Will Sandy played a big part as he pitched four strong scoreless innings, walking one and striking out one. The 23-year-old grad student from North Carolina has shined to start the second half of the season and another few starts like this one could propel him into a major league contract.
His MLB player comparisons include Carlos Rodon of the New York Yankees and Ranger Suarez of the Philadelphia Phillies.
2nd Star - Ben McClain
The left-handed outfielder from Texas State went 3-for-4 in the win Friday night, driving in two runs, scoring two more and striking out once. He would proceed to drive in two more in Saturday's matchup. The 24-year-old prospect shows good speed and power to all fields and it's surprising that he's not already on an MLB team. Look for McClain to get snapped up into the Majors if he continues on this second half surge.
His MLB player comparisons include Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds and Seiya Suzuki of the Chicago Cubs.
3rd Star - Jonah Hurney
The bright spots for the Trenton Thunder in this series were few and far between. But the brightest spot was that of Jonah Hurney - one of the southpaw relievers out of the Thunder bullpen. Hurney went two innings in relief on Friday allowing a single unearned run while punching out four. He's what you might call a 'stopper' - someone you call in to help stop a losing streak or when you really need to end an inning. You call a pitcher like Hurney in to stop the damage and give your offense a chance to fight back. While it didn't quite work out for the Trenton Thunder, Hurney did his job and did it well.
His MLB player comparisons include Adam Ottavino of the Mets and Luis Severino of the Yankees.
Who's Hot
Black Bears' Offense
The Black Bears' offense was high powered against the Trenton Thunder - nine runs on Friday, 14 on Saturday - overpowering the Thunder at every turn. They're off to a strong start to the second half of the season and may look to challenge the Thunder for the MLB Draft League championship of 2023 if they keep up this pace.
Who's Not
Trenton Thunder Defense
Two words - SIX ERRORS. That's right - Trenton had six errors on Friday night that helped spur a 9-0 drubbing at the hands of the Black Bears. While they did cut down on the errors in Saturday's tilt, the offense didn't hold up their end of the bargain and the Thunder were dispatched once again on home turf. The offense and defense need to get on the same page once again if the Thunder look to replicate their first half success in the second half.
The Road Ahead
The Thunder will wrap their three-game set against West Virginia with a 5 p.m. first pitch on Sunday back at Trenton Thunder Ballpark before hitting the road for a quick three-game series against the Williamsport Crosscutters Tuesday-Thursday. It will then be back home for three against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers next weekend.
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