Salazar Delivers in Walk-Off Over St. Lucie

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (April 18, 2018) - The Florida Fire Frogs claimed their first series of 2018 with a dramatic, 7-6 walk-off victory over the St. Lucie Mets on Wednesday night at Osceola County Stadium. The win extends the Fire Frogs' winning streak to three games heading into the finale of the three-game set on Thursday.

The fateful ninth started with the game knotted at seven and Jared James (3x4, 3 R, 2B, 3B, HR, 3 RBI) doubling on a bouncing ball over the head of Dash Winningham at first to put the winning run in scoring position.
After Lucas Herbert (1x3, BB) placed down a perfect sacrifice bunt, Matt Pobereyko (0-1) intentionally walked both Braxton Davidson (1x4, R, 2B, RBI, BB) and Ray-Patrick Didder (0x3, R, BB, SB) to load the bases for Alejandro Salazar (3x4, 2 RBI).
Wednesday's second baseman smashed a 1-1 pitch past a diving Dale Burdick at third, plating James for Florida's (5-8) first walk-off win of the season.
Salazar capped off a four-run fifth for the Fire Frogs with an RBI single to center, giving the home team a 6-3 advantage. The lead would not last long as St. Lucie (6-6) pushed across a run in the sixth against Bladimir Matos , and tied the game with a two-spot in the seventh off of Sean McLaughlin .
James continued his hot stretch by falling a single shy of the cycle with another three-hit night, giving the left fielder nine hits in his last three games. The 24-year-old added three more runs scored and three driven in to his line, giving the Sacramento native a .750 average (9-for-12) with five runs and four RBI during that span. During his current four-game hitting streak, James is batting .625 (10-for-16).
Cristian Pache (2x5, R, 2 2B) extended his hitting streak to seven games with a double in the first inning. The 19-year-old picked up another two-bagger in the eighth, and is hitting .345 (10-for-29) during the streak.
Thomas Burrows (1-0) only faced three batters in the ninth, but it was enough to give the southpaw his first win as a Fire Frog in 2018.
Florida takes aim at the series sweep in game three against St. Lucie on Thursday night at Osceola County Stadium. LHP Joey Wentz (0-0, 1.00) takes the mound for the Fire Frogs against the Mets RHP Gabriel Llanes (1-1, 6.43). First pitch is set for 6:31 p.m.
Thursday will be Latin Night at Osceola County Stadium, where fans can join the Florida Fire Frogs as they transform into Los Coquis to celebrate our Hispanic community! The Fire Frogs will sport their Los Coquis jerseys and auction them off in the team store during the game., and Superhero Night on April 21. Money will also be raised for relief efforts in Puerto Rico.
Friday, April 20, is Bark in the Park, sponsored by Just 4 Dogs. Fans can bring their canine friend to Osceola County Stadium with absolutely no charge! The first 50 dogs will receive a water bowl courtesy of Just 4 Dogs and the Florida Fire Frogs.
Superhero Night is Saturday, April 21, where fans can join the Fire Frogs as they throw on their capes and cowls to protect Kissimmee from the invading Flying Tigers on Saturday night. Specialty jerseys will be auctioned off in the team store during the game.
For ticket and promotional information, please visit floridafirefrogs.com.
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.
###