Richmond Flying Squirrels rally falls short in loss to Trenton

The Richmond Flying Squirrels brought the potential go-ahead run to the plate in the ninth inning but failed to score, falling, 4-2, to the Trenton Thunder on Wednesday night at ARM & HAMMER Park.

The loss extended Richmond’s (23-45, 0-1) losing streak to six games, which ties a season-long for consecutive losses.

Trailing 4-2 in the ninth inning, the Flying Squirrels put runners on second and third with two outs. With a chance to tie the game, Zach Houchins struck out swinging against Will Carter (Save, 2) to end the game.

The Flying Squirrels scored first, taking a 1-0 lead against Trenton (39-27, 1-0) in the first inning. After Johneshwy Fargas was hit by a pitch, he stole second and third before scoring on a groundout by Jalen Miller.

Fargas extended his Eastern League lead in steals to 26, eight more than Miller, who ranks second in the circuit with 18 stolen bases.

Right-hander Brandon Lawson (Loss, 2-3) began his night with four scoreless frames before yielding three runs on four hits in the fifth. After former Flying Squirrel Matt Lipka led off the inning with a triple for the Thunder, Trenton strung together three consecutive two-out hits from Ben Ruta, Mandy Alvarez and Brandon Wagner to take a 3-1 lead.

Lawson tossed 4.2 scoreless innings before yielding a run, ending his scoreless streak at 11.2 consecutive innings.

Trenton tacked on a run in the seventh. Following a single and a throwing error on a bunt by Kyle Holder, Ruta grounded into a double play to make it a three-run game.

Richmond battled back in the eighth to cut into the deficit. Following a single from Houchins and a walk by Jonah Arenado, Gio Brusa doubled to deep left-center field to bring in a run. The Flying Squirrels had a chance for more with runners on second and third and one out, but Matt Winn grounded out and Brandon Van Horn struck out to end the threat.

Brusa extended his hitting streak to five games, going 1-for-3 with a double, walk and RBI.

The Flying Squirrels tied a season high with 12 runners left on base.

The Flying Squirrels finish their series with the Trenton Thunder on Thursday. Left-hander Caleb Baragar (2-0, 2.38 ERA) is scheduled to face right-hander Nick Nelson (2-1, 2.45 ERA). First pitch is slated for 7 p.m., and coverage begins with the Flying Squirrels Pregame Warmup presented by Air Force Reserve at 6:30 on Sports Radio 910 the Fan and 105.1 FM.

Tickets are on sale now for the 2019 Eastern League All-Star Week presented by Genworth. The All-Star Week festivities begin on Sunday, July 7 with Mayor Levar Stoney’s All-Star Week Kickoff on Brown’s Island, followed by the All-Star Country Music Jam on Monday, July 8, headlined by Big & Rich with special guests Cowboy Troy and DJ Sinister at Virginia Credit Union LIVE! at Richmond Raceway. The Celebrity Home Run Derby is Tuesday, July 9 and the festivities wrap up with the 2019 Eastern League All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 10.

For tickets or more information, call 804-359-3866 (FUNN), visit SquirrelsBaseball.com/Tickets or stop by the Flying Squirrels box office.