Rothenberg, Flying Tigers Walk-Off Blue Jays After 9th Inning Comeback

Lakeland, FL — The Dunedin Blue Jays (47-56, 15-22) fell to the Lakeland Flying Tigers (52-50, 26-11) in walk-off fashion Tuesday night at Joker Marchant Stadium.

Dunedin got the scoring started in the second inning, after Roque Salinas singled and Nick Goodwin doubled to put runner on second and third with no outs. After a fly out by Brennan Orf for the first out, Bryce Arnold chopped one to short that looked like a sure out at the plate, but Jim Jarvis’ throw sailed to the backstop, bringing in the run and keeping runners in scoring position with Arnold advancing to second on the throw.

Jaden Rudd was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Angel Del Rosario lined one into center to bring in another, but Rudd, attempting to take the extra bag, was thrown out at third and it was controversially ruled by home plate umpire Alex Lawrie that the tag on Rudd was applied before Arnold stepped on the plate to score another run, ending the inning with Dunedin up 2-0.

Lakeland would go on to score four unanswered starting in the third, including a solo home run by Cristian Santana to tie it, and a two-run homer by Mike Rothenberg to give the Flying Tigers a 4-2 lead in the fifth.

But the Blue Jays would answer right back after going down for the first time. Lakeland LHP Edgardo Ibarra, who had been dealing for three and two thirds, was hit in the left arm by a comeback and had to be removed from the ballgame. New arm Jose Diaz, who had to rush his warm up routine after the injury, loaded the bases on free passes (1 HBP, 2 BB), and Manuel Beltre lined a bases clearing double to right-centerfield, a play almost robbed by CF Seth Stephenson, giving the Blue Jays a 5-4 lead.

Dunedin would tack on another two runs in the eighth to make it 7-4. Meanwhile, RHP Michael Brewer had entered the ballgame, going three-up three-down in both the seventh and eighth innings. The Blue Jays brought him back out for the ninth for the three inning save.

Brewer struck out the first batter he faced, and after issuing a walk, he struck out the next to put the Flying Tigers down to their last out. But Lakeland kept fighting, a triple by Stephenson put the tying run aboard, pulling it to 7-5, then a walk and a single made it 7-6, with thy tying run on second and the potential winning run on first. Rothenberg stepped up again, working a 2-2 count before crushing a three-run home run to right field for his second of the night to walk-off the Blue Jays, 9-7.

A heartbreaker to start off the two-week long road trip, dropping the Blue Jays back to seven games below .500 in the second half. The two teams square off again on Wednesday, with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and live coverage beginning at 6:15 p.m. on the Dunedin Blue Jays Radio Network.