Flying Squirrels hurler Jordan Johnson worked seven solid inning and limited the Trenton Thunder (21-13) to just one run in a 6-1 Richmond win on Friday night at The Diamond. In front of 8,147 fans, Johnson stuck out a season-high eight batters, leading the Flying Squirrels (19-14) to their third consecutive win. Dillon Dobson also homered for the second consecutive night to highlight the offense.
Johnson dazzled through his seven innings to earn his fourth win of the year. The righty struck out a Double-A best eight batters, while limiting the Thunder to one run on seven hits. Johnson didn’t walk a batter as he picked up where the Squirrels pitching staff left off from a night ago. He bookended the first inning with a pair of strikeouts and utilized two double plays in the first four innings to keep Trenton off the board early.
Trenton starting pitcher Will Carter exchanged scoreless innings with Johnson through the first four frames. Carter impressed with a mid-90’s fastball and kept Richmond without a hit until the fifth. The Crimson Tide product faced just one over the minimum (error) through the first four frames.
Carter’s dominance ended in the fifth as the Squirrels erupted for four runs to snap the stalemate. With one out, Dillon Dobson worked a walk and Ali Castillo followed with a bloop base hit into right field. Ronnie Jebavy then lined a single into centerfield, scoring Dobson from second. Jebavy hustled into second on the throw home and while the play unfolded, Ali Castillo raced home, sliding into the catcher Numata. Numata could not hang onto the ball, allowing Richmond to take a 2-0 lead. Matt Lipka followed with a hustle double up the right field line and Luigi Rodriguez added an RBI single to make it 4-0 Richmond.
Carter tossed 31 pitches in the nightmare inning, but returned to start the sixth for Trenton. Richmond put a pair of runners on in the sixth and with two outs, Carter was replaced by Jose Mesa Jr. The new righty punched out Ronnie Jebavy to end the Squirrels scoring threat and close the line on Carter (5.2IP, 5H, 4R, 3BB, 3K, 93 P).
The Thunder scored their long run in the seventh and final inning that Johnson authored. Jhalan Jackson connected on a solo home run to make it a 4-1 contest. Jackson’s homer was his ninth of the year and his fourth against Richmond. Johnson finished the inning with a strikeout and a flyout on his 96th pitch of the night.
Dobson put the contest out of reach for the Squirrels with a two-run homer into left centerfield in the eighth inning. Dobson took Jose Mesa Jr. deep for his third home run of the season and his second in as many days.
Will LaMarche returned to action for Richmond with a scoreless eighth inning and Caleb Simpson retired the side in order in the ninth to end the game.
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