Florida Takes Series Over Lakeland in Rubber Match

LAKELAND, Fla. (July 14, 2017) - The Florida Fire Frogs struck early and took down the Lakeland Flying Tigers, 4-1, on Friday night at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium in the rubber match.

Florida (9-11, 34-52) jumped on Kyle Dowdy (7-6) early with a three-spot in the first. Alejandro Salazar (2x5, R, RBI) and Alay Lago (2x3, R) pieced together back-to-back singles in front of Carlos Castro's (1x4, R, 3B, 2 RBI) triple to the right-field corner. Braxton Davidson (0x2, RBI, BB) followed with a sacrifice fly to right for the third run of the frame.
The three-run cushion was more than enough for Ricardo Sánchez (4-9), who's lone blemish came in the second inning on an RBI single to left by Arcivent Perez.
The left-hander allowed the run on five hits, two walks and seven strikeouts. The 20-year-old has gone 1-1 against Lakeland (14-7, 44-43), with an ERA of 1.69 (3er/16ip), with 21 strikeouts in three starts.
Salazar drove in an insurance run in the fourth with a two-out, run-scoring single to right, plating Justin Ellison (1x4, R, 2B) from second for the 4-1 advantage.
Sean McLaughlin earned his second hold of the season with two scoreless frames out of the bullpen. Chad Sobotka (SV, 1) picked up his first save as a Fire Frog with three punchouts across two innings.
Florida heads over to George M. Steinbrenner Field for a three-game set against the Tampa Yankees starting Saturday night. RHP Andres Santiago (2-4, 6.51) goes for the Fire Frogs in the series opener against the Yankees' RHP Dillon Tate (3-0, 2.66). First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m, with coverage starting at 6:15 p.m. on the Florida Fire Frogs Broadcasting Network.
Florida returns to Osceola County Stadium for a seven-game homestand starting Tuesday, July 18, with game one featuring another matchup against Lakeland. Game one of the three-game series will be "Fire Rum Tuesday" at the ballpark, where fans can enjoy $3 Fire Rum mixed drinks and $2 tostones. Every Monday through Wednesday game at Osceola County Stadium is "Service Industry Night," where members of the service industry can access the home stadium of the Florida Fire Frogs at a discounted rate.
About the Florida Fire Frogs
The Florida Fire Frogs are the Advanced-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and compete in the Florida State League. The Fire Frogs play their home games at Osceola County Stadium, located at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Fla. For more information, please visit www.FloridaFireFrogs.com, and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.