Traditional batting practice turned into a player draft as the team was split into two squads playing a game of offensive situational baseball.
TRENTON - The Trenton Thunder were eliminated from the Eastern League playoffs Wednesday night, but you couldn't tell that by all the hooting and hollering before Thursday night's game.
Traditional batting practice turned into a player draft as the team was split into two squads playing a game of offensive situational baseball.
The real game at Arm & Hammer was won by the New Britain Rock Cats 8-6; another team playing out the string that unravels on Labor Day.
Jake Skole led Trenton with three hits, including a two-run homer, and Eddy Rodriguez had a two-run double. The most interesting stat in the game was six wild pitches. The announced crowd was 4,394.
The pre-game game was the idea of pitching coach P.J. Pilittere. Team 1 vs. team 2 took turns in the batting cage, pretending a runner was on second with no out, or a runner on third with the infield in, etc.
Points were scored on the appropriate placement of hits - there were no official fielders - as well as points for hits and extra base hits.
"They were having fun,'' manager Al Pedrique said afterwards, "and we wanted to make sure they were relaxed. All year they worked hard, so this was a chance to get out of the routine, to have some fun and enjoy it.
"I was the judge,'' he added. "A couple of guys were mad at me, but they will get over it.''
A team meeting was also held, at which time Pedrique told them that even though they lost a tough game Wednesday night (6-5 in 12 innings) and were eliminated, the overall season was a positive.
That of course included players who came and went this season, one in which saw 194 player transactions.
The collaboration currently has Trenton tied for ninth in the 12-team league in batting average at .251, ninth in home runs, and only two teams have fewer runs and fewer runs batted in.
Another telling statistic is that Trenton was fourth in the league in stolen bases, indicating they had a bunch of people in scoring position but a bunch of people left on base.
The most positive aspect has been on the mound. Thunder pitching is third in the league in ERA at 3.43.
And, Trenton will finish with a better record than last year (67-75); two years removed from the league championship.
With five games remaining in the season (Saturday's evening doubleheader has two 7-inning games), Pedrique isn't exactly looking to create Sesame Place.
"I told them, 'We're not going to slow down. Our job as professional players is to go out and represent the organization, to represent ourselves, play the game the right way and respect the game. A lot of the guys still have goals in mind.'
"We're going to try and finish on a good note,'' he said.
That hasn't been the direction of late, as Trenton had a losing record in August. It came into Thursday's game on a four-game losing streak and had lost six of its last eight.
NOTES: Friday is Bernie Williams Bobblehead Giveaway night (first 2,000 fans 14 and over). Saturday will have post-game fireworks, with the first game starting at 6 p.m.