TAMPA, FL - After scoring just eight runs during their season long five game losing streak, the Daytona Tortugas scored nine over the first five innings on Saturday night in route to a 9-4 win at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Tarpons pitching hit four Tortugas hitters and Tampa's defense committed
TAMPA, FL - After scoring just eight runs during their season long five game losing streak, the Daytona Tortugas scored nine over the first five innings on Saturday night in route to a 9-4 win at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Tarpons pitching hit four Tortugas hitters and Tampa's defense committed four errors.
Daytona sent ten to the plate and scored four times in the top of the first. Randy Ventura led off with a single and RHP Rony Garcia hit both Ibandel Isabel and Tyler Stephenson to load the bases with on with one out. Taylor Trammell hit a ground ball to short to score Ventura from third and a Diego Castillo throwing error allowed Isabel to score from second on the play. Stephenson and Trammell both moved up an extra 90-feet on the play. Brantley Bell drove in Stephenson when he grounded out to third, and on the next pitch Trammell scored on a Stuart Fairchild double to left to go up 4-0.
Isabel drew a walk to start the second, moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, and came into score on a Trammell two-out double to run the lead to 5-0.
Tampa scored for the first time in the third. Jason Lopez led off the inning with a double off RHP Tejay Antone and moved to third when Estevan Florial reached on an Isabel error. Diego Castillo reached on ground ball to third, scoring Lopez from third to put the Tarpons on the board. Florial moved first-to-third on a Ventura error and scored a few pitches later on a Dom Thompson-Williams single to cut the deficit to 5-2.
Daytona added three more in the fourth. Isabel and Bruce Yari reached on back-to-back one-out singles, and both runners moved up an additional 90-feet on an error. Isabel would score from third after Stephenson reached on an error. Yari moved up to third on the play and scored on a Trammell double, Stephenson tried to score as well but was thrown out at the plate. Trammell moved to third on an error and scored on a Bell single to make it 8-2.
Michael Beltre drew a walk to start the fifth, stole second, moved to third on an Alfredo Rodriguez single, and scored on a Ventura groundout to put Daytona up 9-2.
Back-to-back two-out doubles from Lopez and Florial led to the Tarpons third run in the seventh.
In the eighth, Isiah Gilliam hit a one-out, solo home run to left, his 13th of the season, off RHP Aaron Fossas to round out the scoring at 9-4.
Antone (4-3) earned the win. He allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits in seven innings with a walk and five strikeouts. Garcia (0-4) took the loss. He allowed eight runs (four earned) on seven hits in 3 ⅔ innings with a walk and three strikeouts.
Daytona will go for the series Sunday afternoon. LHP Wennington Romero (8-8, 4.54) will get the ball for the Tortugas.
First pitch Sunday is scheduled for 1 PM with coverage beginning at 12:45 PM with the Metcare Pregame Show on AM 1230, AM 1490, and FM 106.9 WSBB.
NOTES: The Tortugas were outscored 34-8 on the first five games of their road trip before winning 9-4 Saturday… The win snaps Daytona's 7-game road losing streak… The Tortugas improve to 40-1 when leading after 8… The Tortugas were hit by a season-high 4 pitches. Alfredo Rodriguez became the first Tortuga to be hit by multiple pitches in the same game… RHP Ryan Hendrix has 72 strikeouts in 46 innings… RHP Tejay Antone has struck out 5 in 10 of his 15 starts this season… Ibandel Isabel scored three runs in a game for the first time in exactly a year (8/18/17)... Tyler Stephenson was the only Tortuga starter not to record a hit… Taylor Trammell had multiple doubles for the first time since 6/8/17. He also drove in 3 runs for the first time since 8/22/17… Brantley Bell had his first multi-RBI game since 7/21.
