JUPITER, Fla. - The Clearwater Threshers reached the .500 plateau for the first time this season with the help of two team debuts on Friday afternoon at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Matt Kroon doubled, drove home a run and scored a run, while Kyle Arjon fired three scoreless frames in
JUPITER, Fla. - The Clearwater Threshers reached the .500 plateau for the first time this season with the help of two team debuts on Friday afternoon at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Matt Kroon doubled, drove home a run and scored a run, while Kyle Arjon fired three scoreless frames in the 3-1 victory over the Jupiter Hammerheads to improve to 24-24.
Kroon delivered his first hit in the fourth inning, plating All-Star Matt Vierling with a double to the wall in left. Vierling reached on a one-out single, and stole second during Madison Stoke's at-bat.
Ethan Evanko (2-0) allowed the tying run to cross in the bottom half of the frame, but that was the only blemish on the southpaw's line. The product of Grand Canyon University struck out five and did not walk anybody through five innings for his second consecutive win.
Jake Scheiner floated a sac fly to right in the sixth inning to push across Alec Bohm for the go-ahead run. Ben Aklinski provided insurance for the visitors with a two-out, RBI single to right, plating Kroon for the 3-1 cushion.
Bohm doubled in his first at-bat of the contest, extending Clearwater's extra-base hit streak to 23 games.
Keylan Killgore (SV, 3) gave up a lead-off double to Lazaro Alonso to start the bottom of the ninth, but retired the next three batters to lock down his third save in as many chances.
Colby Fitch extended his on-base streak to 14 games with an infield single in the fifth. The backstop is hitting .262 since the streak began on April 20, and has also drawn 10 walks and been hit by a pitch four times.
After starting the season 2-9, the Threshers have gone on a 22-15 tear since April 14, which includes a 9-7 mark away from Spectrum Field.
Will Stewart (1-5) took the loss for Jupiter (13-32). The opposing lefty allowed two runs on seven hits, a walk and five strikeouts.
Clearwater takes aim at the series victory on Saturday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. It has yet to be determined who will take the mound for the Threshers against the Hammerheads' RHP Jordan Holloway (2-1, 1.50). First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., with coverage starting at 5:15 p.m. with Threshers Live! The Pre-game Show on threshersbaseball.com.
