CLEARWATER, Fla. - Connor Seabold set down the first 15 batters he faced, and the Threshers fended off a ninth-inning rally to top the Blue Jays, 5-4 in the opener of second-half play at Spectrum Field on Thursday night.The Threshers (1-0) (33-36) got on the board in the bottom of
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Connor Seabold set down the first 15 batters he faced, and the Threshers fended off a ninth-inning rally to top the Blue Jays, 5-4 in the opener of second-half play at Spectrum Field on Thursday night.
The Threshers (1-0) (33-36) got on the board in the bottom of the third, after Jose Gomez led off the inning with a single to right.
With one down, Adam Haseley reached on a fielder's choice, and Edgar Cabral worked a full count against Angel Perdomo (1-4). Haseley took off on the payoff pitch, and Cabral's popper to shallow center dropped between the second baseman John La Prise and centerfielder Josh Palacios, allowing Hasleey to score.
After Seabold (4-4) stayed perfect through five innings, Nash Knight opened the sixth by grounding a single up the middle. John La Prise followed with a liner to left, and Rodrigo Orozco's single loaded the bases.
Seabold settled in and limited the damage, as Palacios got Dunedin (0-1) (31-38) on the board with a sacrifice fly, and Eduard Pinto grounded out to first, permitting La Prise to score and put Dunedin up 2-1.
Clearwater rallied back in the bottom half.
Haseley got it going with an infield single that bounded off Perdomo, and Cabral delivered the game-tying hit with a double to the warning track in left-center.
After the Blue Jays brought Jake Fishman on in relief, Kyle Martin greeted him by dropping a double into right to bring home Cabral and give the Threshers the lead. Jose Pujols followed with a single through the left side, and Henri Lartigue pushed a grounder up the middle to bring home Martin and make it 4-2.
The Threshers grabbed a crucial insurance run with two outs in the eighth.
After Jackson McClelland struck out a pair of batters to start the frame, Lartigue drew a four-pitch walk. Luke Williams attacked the first offering he saw, smacking a triple to the left-centerfield gap to score Lartigue and extend the advantage to 5-2.
Dunedin mounted a comeback in the ninth against Addison Russ in his Threshers debut. After a walk to Pinto, Kevin Smith homered on a liner to left to cut the lead to one.
Two outs later, a walk, single, and another base on balls filled them up for Orozco.
Clearwater called upon Aaron Brown in a tight spot, with the bases loaded and two outs. Brown came through, getting Orozco to ground into a fielder's choice to end the ballgame, as Brown earned his third save.
Game two of the series will take place on Friday at 6:15 p.m., when Bailey Falter takes the hill opposed by Thomas Pannone. The game will be broadcast live on threshersbaseball.com starting at 6 p.m.
