Thunder rolls: Richmond Flying Squirrels fall, 7-3

The Trenton Thunder (38-34) breezed to a, 7-3, victory over the Richmond Flying Squirrels (38-32) on Wednesday night at The Diamond.  The win snapped a five-game losing-skid for the Thunder and leveled the four-game series.

Mark Payton gave the Thunder the lead in the top of the second inning.  Payton led off and lifted a solo-home run to right field.  His second of the season made it 1-0 for Trenton.

The Thunder expanded their lead significantly with three additional runs against Beede in the third.  Jose Rosario sparked the inning with a single to left field.  Beede recorded the first two outs of the inning, but then walked Tony Renda.  Greg Bird followed and cranked a two-run double to right-center field.  Both runners scored for a 3-0 lead.  Payton followed and knocked in Bird with a single.

Trenton righty Brady Lail stymied the Squirrels for the first three innings.  However, with two outs in the fourth, Devin Harris put the Squirrels on the board.  He blasted his fifth home run of the season, trimming the Trenton lead to three runs, 4-1.

A three-run uprising featuring five consecutive singles off of Beede in the sixth gave the Thunder a commanding 7-1 lead.  The string started with one out when Payton notched his third hit of the night.  Dan Fiorito, Francisco Arcia, Devyn Bolasky and Jose Rosario each followed with a single.  Arcia, Bolasky and Rosario were all credited with RBIs.

Beede (2-1) suffered his second consecutive loss, and surrendered a career-high seven earned runs in the outing.  He worked 5 2/3 innings and also allowed 10 hits, matching another career-high.  He walked one and struck out none.

Lail (4-3) earned the win, working seven innings.  He was very sharp, permitting just the lone run on three total hits.  He walked one and struck out four.

Right-hander Johnny Barbato worked a scoreless eighth inning before turning it over to righty Nick Goody.  Harris got Goody for his second home run of the night and sixth of the season.  The two-run shot capped the scoring for the night and marked the first time on the season that a Squirrel had homered twice in the same game.

Game three of the four-game series is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. on Thursday night at The Diamond.  RHP Kyle Crick (1-2, 2.40) will make the start against Trenton LHP Miguel Sulbaran (3-5, 4.85).  The Flying Squirrels Pregame Warmup will begin at 6 p.m. on Fox Sports 910 and FoxSportsRichmond.com.