Florida Drops Series Against Charlotte

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (Sept. 1, 2018) - The Florida Fire Frogs suffered the series loss to the Charlotte Stone Crabs with an 8-2 loss at Charlotte Sports Park on Saturday night. The defeat wraps up the club's series record for the 2018 season with a 9-24-7 mark.

Joey Wentz (3-4) took the mound for the final time this season in the start, and gave up a pair of tough-luck runs in the opening frames. With runners at second and third and one out, the southpaw struck out Jake Fraley, but a wild pitch allowed Vidal Brujan to score from third to put Florida (50-80, 21-43) in a one-run deficit.
Wentz then got a sacrifice fly off the bat of Rene Pinto, plating Carl Chester to put the Fire Frogs behind by two in the opening frame.
The Atlanta Braves' 10^th-ranked prospect finished the night with the two runs allowed on three hits and three strikeouts. The 20-year-old needed 50 pitches, with 34 resulting in strikes.
Charlotte (40-28, 74-61) tallied two more runs in the third, and broke the game open with a four-spot in the fifth to create an eight-run difference.
Florida cracked the scoreboard for the first time in the series with a two-out rally in the sixth. Drew Waters (3x4, R, 2B) doubled in front of Riley Delgado's (1x4, 2B, RBI) two-bagger to bring home the first run for the visitors since the third inning of Thursday's contest against the Tampa Tarpons (23 innings).
The road team tacked on its second run of the night in the final frame, utilizing a lead-off double by Garrison Schwartz (1x4, R, 2B) and a run-scoring single off the bat of Braxton Davidson (1x4, RBI).
Kenny Rosenberg (10-2) earned the win for the Stone Crabs, allowing a run on five hits and seven strikeouts across six frames for the quality start.
Florida's loss, coupled by the Clearwater Threshers' win over the Fort Myers Miracle, puts Charlotte a game ahead of Fort Myers in the Florida State League South heading into the final day of the season.
Florida will look to salvage the series in the season finale on Sunday afternoon at Charlotte Sports Park. LHP Filyer Sanchez (0-1, 5.25) takes the mound for the Fire Frogs against the Stone Crabs RHP Brian Shaffer (2-2, 3.41). First pitch is scheduled for 12:35 p.m., with coverage starting at 12:20 p.m. with the Florida Fire Frogs Pre-game Show on the Florida Fire Frogs Broadcasting Network.
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.
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