While the other Yankee organizational farm teams are done, the Trenton Thunder have been busy chasing their first Eastern League championship.

Thanks to Noah Hall’s clutch walkoff hit in the home ninth, they’re within one win of staking that claim after a come from behind 3-2 victory Wednesday night before 4,380 to hold serve in Game Two as the best-of-five series now shifts to Akron.
With the game tied at two, former 2006 Baby Bomber outfielder Colin Curtis drew a walk to leadoff the inning and advanced to second thanks to a wild pitch by Akron reliever Jim Ed Warden.

Having already come around to score his team’s first run in the fifth, this time the Trenton left fielder was driven in by a Hall RBI single to right getting in just ahead of Wyatt Toregas’ tag which gave the Thunder the big win- putting them up 2-0 in the championship series with three chances to clinch.

It completed a comeback as Trenton rallied for the game’s final three runs in the last five frames.

A half inning before the Aeros got their two runs, the Thunder had threatened by putting the first two runners on courtesy of a leadoff walk to center fielder Austin Jackson and an infield hit by Curtis. Hall came up and bounced into a 6-4-3 double play.

Then consecutive walks to Matt Carson and Cody Ehlers loaded the bases with two out leaving it up to ex-2005 S.I. Yankee catcher P.J. Pilittere but he lined out to center to end it.

Michael Aubrey put Akron ahead in the fourth by doubling in Jordan Brown. He came around to score the second run of the inning on a throwing error by Trenton third baseman Marcos Vechionacci.

After the Aeros stranded a runner at third, Curtis helped get the Thunder a run closer in the fifth by walking and coming around to score the team’s first run thanks to a big two out RBI single from Pilittere which sliced the deficit in half.

The Thunder waited until the final two frantic innings to complete the comeback.

Still trailing by a run in the home eighth, Vechionacci singled and swiped second. Gabriel Lopez followed with a huge one out runscoring double to left which knotted the game. Trenton had two shots to get him in but former 2005 Bomber hero Reegie Corona lined out to right and Jackson struckout swinging to keep the game tied.

Trenton reliever Scott Patterson ran into trouble in the Akron ninth when the first two batters started the inning with hits to put runners on first and second.

But after Cirillo Cumberbatch failed to advance them over by popping out to third, Patterson buckled down by getting the final two hitters swinging which set the stage for the last inning dramatics.

Notes: A former Yankee recall earlier this season for a couple of spot starts, Chase Wright was strong going the first seven for the Thunder allowing two runs (1 ER) on five hits while walking a pair and fanning four. … Michael Gardner worked a perfect eighth K-ing one before Patterson came on for a scoreless ninth to earn his first postseason victory. … Warden took the loss for the Aeros recording just one out against three batters. … Aside from his game-winning hit, Hall paced Trenton with three hits. … Hitting third, Curtis (1-for-2, 3 BB) was on base four times scoring two runs on the night. …The teams are off today due to travel with Game Three at Akron Friday night when Alan Horne gets the ball for Trenton and opposes Jeremy Sowers. … Game One of the NY-Penn League championship series gets underway later tonight as Auburn hosts Brooklyn in the best-of-three series with first pitch after 7 PM.