Blue Jays Finish First Half Below .500 With Loss To Lakeland

The Dunedin Blue Jays entered Wednesday evening's game against the Lakeland Flying Tigers riding high after yesterday's thrilling walk-off victory with sights set on winning the final game of the season's first half to finish the half with a winning record. The first three batters of the game quickly set a tone that those hopes were likley to go unrealized.
LHP Ryan Borucki took the mound for the Jays in the final game of their three game set with Lakeland fresh off of one of his most impressive starts of the season in his last appearance, a seven-inning performance during which he allowed just four hits, no earned runs, and struck out ten batters against the Palm Beach Cardinals. While Borucki delivered a quality start for Dunedin tonight, he clearly wasn't in the same dominant form.
Borucki walked the first batter of the game in the top of the first. The next batter, Will Maddox doubled to left, starting what would be an impressive 4-for-5 day for him during which he fell a home run short of a cycle. With runners on second and third, Luis Valdes hit a ground ball to shortstop Lourdes Gurriel Jr.. Frailey attemped to score from third and Gurriel's throw was off the mark. Wade Hinkle then hit a hard ground ball up the first base line that Dunedin 1B Juan Kelly knocked down with a lunging backhand. While the groundout scored a run, Kelly's snag prevented the ball from going for extra bases and helped keep the Flying Tigers to two runs in the inning.
Dunedin cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the third thanks to a leadoff double by RF Josh Almonte and a 3B Cavan Biggio RBI single, but Lakeland answered with three more of their own in the top of the fourth. Dunedin almost avoided the big inning, however a safe call on a bang-bang play at first base with two outs and two runners on loaded the bases and extended the inning. Will Maddox promptly tripled to clear the bases and extend the Lakeland lead.
Dunedin again cut the deficit in the sixth, putting five runners on base and knocking in a pair. Lourdes Gurriel drove in the first with an RBI single and Michael De La Cruz plated the second with an RBI fielder's choice.
The Flying Tigers added an insurance run in the seventh thanks to two singles and a throwing error by Gurriel. They further extended their lead in the ninth, scoring three times on four hits, a walk, and a third throwing error by Gurriel in the game.
Borucki took the loss for the Blue Jays, dropping his record to 3-4 on the year. He threw 6.0 innings and allowed seven hits, five runs (three earned), one walk, and struck out five. RHP Philip Walby allowed an unearned run in an inning of work. RHP Tom Robson threw a scoreless eighth, and RHP Jackson McClelland allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits in the ninth.
The loss leaves Dunedin with a final first-half record of 34-35. The team played 69 games in the first half with one game rained out and not made up. The Blue Jays begin the season's second half tomorrow, squaring off against the North Division's first-half title winners, the Tampa Yankees in Tampa. RHP Jordan Romano, who holds a 1.87 ERA over his last ten outings, will take the ball for Dunedin with the game's first pitch scheduled for 7:00 PM.