Jays Steal Extra Inning Win From Lakeland, Complete Sweep

The Dunedin Blue Jays picked up a crucial late-season series sweep over the Lakeland Flying Tigers with a thrilling 2-1 walk-off win on Thursday evening at Dunedin Stadium. In a game marred by base running miscues by Dunedin, the Blue Jays ironically won on a stellar running play by Rodrigo Orozco, who stole third and scored the walk-off run when the catcher's throw sailed into left field in the tenth inning.
For the third straight night, a pitching duel broke out between Dunedin and Lakeland starting pitchers. RHP Patrick Murphy, the league leader in ERA since June 1st (1.60) squared off against Spenser Watkins, the overall league leader in ERA (2.07), and the matchup didn't disappoint. Murphy threw 6.0 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and striking out seven, notching his sixth consecutive quality start. In opposition, Watkins also provied a quality start, allowing one run over 6.2 innings while striking out six.
Over the course of the three-game series, the two teams' starting pitchers combined to post a 1.56 ERA. Lakeland's impressive starting staff (#1 prospect Casey Mize, #3 prospect Matt Manning, ERA leader Watkins) allowed just four runs in three games, but Dunedin's starters were even better, throwing 18.0 innings of shutout baseball.
Dunedin pushed across the first run of the ballgame in the fifth inning against Watkins. 1B Kacy Clemens led off the inning by laying down a bunt single against a severe shift, and CF Rodrigo Orozco followed with a double down the left field line, scoring Clemens and putting Dunedin up 1-0. The Blue Jays had a chance to score more in the inning, but Orozco was caught in no-man's land between third and home on a routine ground out by 3B Yeltsin Gudino that turned into a double play when Gudino was thrown out at first and then Orozco was caught trying to score from third.
It was the third important base running mistake by Dunedin in the game. In the fourth, SS Kevin Smith was picked off second base with C Alberto Mineo at the plate. Mineo promptly drilled a double that would have easily scored Smith. Mineo was then thrown out at home trying to score from second on a soft single by LF Ivan Castillo.
The errors on the base paths kept the Flying Tigers in the ballgame, and they capitalized in the eighth inning with Murphy out of the game. RHP Jonathan Cheshire had entered in relief in the seventh and thrown a scoreless inning. When he returned to the mound in the eighth, the first two batters reached on a pair of singles. Dunedin turned to LHP Jake Fishman to get out of the jam, but a sacrifice bunt and subsequent sacrifice fly brought home the tying run. 
The score held at 1-1 until the tenth inning. The top of the frame was highlighted by an incredible web gem by Smith at shortstop, who made a diving snag of a line drive off the bat of Lakeland's Zac Shepherd and then stepped on second base to double off the extra innings pace-of-play runner.
In the home half of the inning, Orozco began at second base as the pace-of-play runner. After Gudino lined out to shortstop to open the inning, Orozco took off for third with RF Joshua Palacios batting. The catcher's throw to try to catch Orozco stealing sailed high and into left field, allowing Orozco to scamper home with the winning run.
RHP Ty Tice picked up the win for Dunedin, his fifth of the season, with 1.1 shutout innings of relief. Liarvis Breto took the loss for Lakeland, despite not allowing a hit in 1.1 innings.
The win improves Dunedin's overall record in 2018 to 57-51, tied for best in the North Division, and their second half record to 26-14. The Blue Jays sit 2.0 games ahead of Clearwater (23-15) and 4.5 games ahead of Lakeland (20-17) in first place in the second half standings. The Charlotte Stone Crabs (58-47, 24-14) will come to town tomorrow for a three-game set in a matchup between the two Florida State League second half division leaders.