Jackson Homers As Florida Falls To Clearwater

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (May 6, 2017) - The Florida Fire Frogs' bid for a fifth consecutive win fell short on Saturday night with a 7-4 defeat to the Clearwater Threshers at Osceola County Stadium. The defeat forces a rubber match between the two clubs in the finale of the three-game set on Sunday night.

Touki Toussaint (1-3) stranded three men on base through the first two innings, but ran into trouble in the third, as Clearwater (18-12) sent nine men to the plate and scored five runs to grab the early lead.
Mark Laird dropped a double to right to start the inning for the visitors, and Herlis Rodriguez followed with a long home run over the right field wall to put the Fire Frogs in a 2-0 deficit.
Dameck Tomscha and Wilson Garcia singled in front of a base hit to right from Jose Pujols, but Garcia was thrown out at second on the play for the first out of the inning. Drew Stankiewicz sent a double to the gap in left-center, scoring Tomscha for the third run of the frame.
Toussaint set down Zach Coppola on a curveball for the second out, but surrendered a two-run single to Austin Bossart to create a five-run separation from Florida (14-16).
The right-handed starter tied a season-high with eight strikeouts on the night, but allowed five runs on nine hits and a walk on 83 pitches - 56 strikes.
The Fire Frogs responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning, as Alex Jackson (2x4, R, HR, 2 RBI) slammed a two-run shot over the wall in right-center for his second home run in as many games for the catcher.
Florida tacked on another run in the fifth on a Ronald Acuña Jr. (2x5, R, HR, RBI) solo homer to climb within two, but that would be the closest the Fire Frogs would get to tying the game against the Threshers.
Clearwater added on a run in the sixth and seventh frames to pull back ahead by four, before Carlos Castro (2x4, 2B, RBI) doubled home Braxton Davidson (1x4, R) in the eighth to make it a three-run game.
Chaz Roe made his first rehab appearance with Florida. The right-handed reliever allowed a run on two hits and a punchout in just one inning of work.
Florida will look for its first ever win in a rubber match in game three of the three-game set on Sunday night at Osceola County Stadium. It has yet to be determined who will take the mound for either team. First pitch is set for 5:05 p.m., with coverage starting at 4:50 p.m. on the Florida Fire Frogs Broadcasting Network.
The Florida Fire Frogs set sail to the seven seas in search of buried treasure on Pirates & Princesses Day at Osceola County Stadium on Sunday. The first 300 kids receive an eye patch or a tiara! Sunday is also Family Fun Day at the home of the Florida Fire Frogs, where fans can enjoy $1 hot dogs at Osceola County Stadium. Kids 12 and under can run the bases at the conclusion of the game!
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.