Tocci Tags 5 Hits, Threshers Walk Off in 10
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Carlos Tocci cranked a career-high five hits on Sunday, and Mitch Walding sent Clearwater home a walk-off winner with a sacrifice fly in the tenth, as the Threshers topped the Daytona Tortugas 5-4 in the series opener at Bright House Field.
Tocci tied an all-time high by a Clearwater Thresher with five hits in Sunday's contest, and is the first Thresher to collect five hits in a game since Jose Mojica accomplished that feat on April 16, 2013.
Twice Tocci came through with game-tying hits, and he finished 5-for-6 with a double, two RBI, and two runs scored.
Tied at four in the tenth, Scott Kingery beat out an infield hit on a slow grounder to the left side, and Tocci stung a liner to right-center to put men at the corners with nobody out.
Juan Martinez (1-1) got Jiandido Tromp to pop out, and got ahead of Walding with a 1-2 count, but Walding got ahold of one deep enough to center to permit Kingery to tag and slip in ahead of the throw from centerfielder Jonathan Reynoso for the game-winning run.
Clearwater (4-0) has now won six-straight games, and has posted double-digits in hits in each of those contests.
The Threshers found themselves trailing on three separate occasions on Sunday, but all three times Clearwater had an answer.
Daytona (2-2) plated a pair in the first inning off Ranfi Casimiro, but the Threshers scraped one back in the third. Tocci's infield hit got it going, and Tromp followed with an infield single of his own - his first hit at the High-A level. Kyle Martin's sacrifice fly would bring in Tocci, cutting the deficit to 2-1 on Martin's 40th RBI of the year.
Tocci singled up the middle to open the fifth inning, and with one out the Tortugas went to the bullpen to bring in lefty Brennan Bernardino. Walding shot a single up the middle off the southpaw to score Tocci, tying the game at two apiece.
The Tortugas bounced back in front in the sixth, when Gavin LaValley's RBI ground rule double off Daniel Stumpf made it 3-2 Daytona. Stumpf allowed a run on two hits and struck out one in his second appearance on assignment from Philadelphia.
Derek Campbell walked to start the home half, giving him eight consecutive plate appearances in which he reached base safely. Following a sacrifice bunt and a strikeout, Tocci delivered a single to left off reliever Ariel Hernandez to score Campbell and bring the teams even, 3-3.
Daytona went ahead one last time in the eighth. Despite several defensive gems from shortstop Drew Stankieiwcz in the inning, Aristides Aquino's infield hit off Victor Arano put the Tortugas back in front, 4-3.
Stankiewicz worked a one-out walk in the bottom half, and Daytona brought in the lefty Martinez to pitch. The Threshers countered with the pinch hitter Kingery, who singled to center, and Tocci came through again with a double to right to score Stankieiwcz and again pull the teams into a deadlock.
Will Morris (4-2) tossed a scoreless top of the tenth, setting the stage for the Threshers second walk-off win of the season.
The only other walk-off for the Threshers this year also belonged to Walding, who delivered the game-winning single in the 13th against the Dunedin Blue Jays on May 10. This time a sac fly did the trick, with Walding's second RBI of the day and 37th of the season sending Clearwater to victory.
Clearwater will look to keep rolling and take the series on Feeding Frenzy Monday, as Shane Watson (2-3) toes the rubber against lefty Seth Varner (4-4). First pitch is at 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on the Threshers Broadcast Network beginning at 6:45 p.m.