Wingrove, Pelletier Go Yard, Threshers Fall 9-7

Wingrove knocks three home runs in two days

Threshers first baseman Rixon Wingrove trotting the bases. (Clearwater Threshers)

July 18, 2021

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Rixon Wingrove went deep twice in Sunday’s matinee, but the Dunedin Blue Jays came out on top in the 9-7 series finale at BayCare Ballpark. BOX Wingrove’s two blasts of the ballgame were his second and third in two days. The Blue Jays (28-37) started off the

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Rixon Wingrove went deep twice in Sunday’s matinee, but the Dunedin Blue Jays came out on top in the 9-7 series finale at BayCare Ballpark. BOX

Wingrove’s two blasts of the ballgame were his second and third in two days.

The Blue Jays (28-37) started off the scoring in the second inning. Zach Britton doubled to lead off the inning and moved up to third on a wild pitch. Harrison Ray soared a sacrifice fly into left field that scored Britton. Hugo Cardona hit a bunt single to reach base and stole second. He later crossed the plate courtesy of a fielding error for a 2-0 lead.

Clearwater (32-33) brought the score back to within one run in the home half of the inning. Baron Radcliff walked and Juan Aparicio hit a grounder to third to reach base safely. Ben Pelletier grounded into a double play erasing himself and Aparicio from the basepaths, but Radcliff moved safely to third and scored on a fly ball off the bat of Jose Tortolero to make it a 2-1 contest.

Dunedin put up four runs in the third inning with a Cardona grand slam, propelling the Blue Jays ahead 6-1.

Clearwater again cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the third inning after Wingrove launched his first dinger of the game, a two-run shot over the fence in center field that cut the difference to 6-3.

The Blue Jays added some insurance in the fourth with a single and a double for a 7-3 lead that Clearwater shortened to 7-4 in the seventh after Aparicio pushed a run across.

The cross-town rivals battled back-and-forth in the eighth inning, Dunedin scoring from a walk, groundout, and single, and Clearwater fought to chip away the lead with Wingrove’s second two-run blast of the day for a score of 8-6.

The teams traded one run each in the ninth inning. Dunedin walked in a run and Ben Pelletier knocked an inside-the-park home run for the Threshers, but Dunedin came away the winners of the 9-7 match.

The Threshers travel to Tampa to face the Tarpons at George M. Steinbrenner Field July 20-25. SCHEDULE