O'Grady homers, drives in three in loss Sun.

Clearwater, FL - The Daytona Tortugas (34-21, 71-54) fell to 1-6 at Bright House Field this season with a 10-6 loss to the Clearwater Threshers (35-22, 72-55) on Sunday afternoon. Daytona had a 5-0 lead entering the bottom of the sixth inning, but allowed 10 runs on 10 hits over the final three frames.

 

Both offenses struggled for the first three innings, but the Tortugas broke through in the fourth. DH Daniel Pigott drew a one-out walk, and 3B Ronald Bueno kept the inning alive with a two-out single two batters later. 1B Brian O'Grady brought both runners home with a line drive double off the right field fence, and the Tortugas had a 2-0 lead.

 

Daytona kept at it in the fifth, as singles from 2B Ty Washington and CF Junior Arias chased start Matt Imhoff from the game. Harold Guerrero came on to face RF Sebastian Elizalde, who blasted his first pitch out of the ballpark. His 10th homer of the year gave the Tortugas 5-0 lead.

 

LHP Nick Routt cruised through five innings, allowing just two singles and a walk while inducing a pair of double plays. Clearwater put a rally together in the sixth, starting with a leadoff double from Wilson Garcia. Derek Campbell then skied a ball to right center field that bounced in and out of Arias' glove. Garcia scored from third on what was ruled a triple.

 

After a walk to Malquin Canelo, Carlos Tocci hit a double play ball to third base that snuck through 3B Ronald Bueno and plated another run to make it 5-2. Dylan Cozens hit a liner to short for the first out, and Routt was removed in favor of RHP Scott Brattvet. With two runners in scoring position, Rhys Hoskins lined a two RBI double to left center to draw Clearwater within a run. Andrew Pullin followed with a two-run blast to right, and Clearwater had a 6-5 edge.

 

The Tortugas offense responded with no hits over the next three innings. Clearwater extended the lead to 10-5 with a four-spot in the eighth. A hit batter, single, homer and double chased Brattvet from the game, and RHP Jimmy Moran came on to induce an inning ending double play.

 

O'Grady led off the ninth inning with a homer to make it 10-6, and SS Blake Trahan lined a single to left for his first Florida State League hit shortly afterward, but a double play and a groundout ended the ballgame.

 

RHP Amir Garrett will square off against RHP Mark Leiter on Monday night at 7:00 p.m. ET. Fans can listen to the action The Great Voice of Volusia County, AM 1230 and AM 1490 WSBB, starting with the D.B. Pickles Pregame Show at 6:50 p.m. ET.