Pike Sharp As Fire Frogs Drop Pitchers' Duel To Yankees

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (May 15, 2017) -Tyler Pike and Erik Swanson battled deep into the night on Monday at Osceola County Stadium, but the Florida Fire Frogs came up on the losing side of the pitching duel, 1-0. Florida has dropped its last three games after winning the finale against the Daytona Tortugas on Wednesday and the opener against the Lakeland Flying Tigers on Thursday.

Tampa (17-21) scored the only run of the game in the top of the ninth inning against Chase Johnson-Mullins (0-2). Trey Amburgey reached on a missed-catch error at first by Tyler Neslony , and Nick Solak drew a free pass to put the first two men on board.
The left-hander retired Kyle Holder on a fielder's choice to third, but walked Mandy Alvarez to load the bases. Pinch hitter Jhalan Jackson hit a slow bouncer to short, with the only play at first for Alejandro Salazar , allowing Solak to score the go-ahead run.
Pike worked the first six frames for Florida (18-20) in the opener. The native of Winter Haven, Fla. worked out of jams in the second, fourth and sixth innings to keep the Yankees of the board through his eighth start of the season.
The southpaw issued four walks and gave up three hits on the night, but struck out six on 95 pitches (57 strikes). Monday was the fourth time the 23-year-old picked up a quality start in his last four outings.
Josh Graham worked the seventh and eighth innings out of the bullpen. The right-hander tossed two perfect frames while picking up four strikeouts. Johnson-Mullins allowed an unearned run on two walks in his lone frame.
Swanson worked seven innings on the mound for Tampa, allowing just four hits and striking out one. Matt Marsh (1-0) picked up the win by allowing just one walk and setting down three on strikes in the final two frames.
Florida will attempt to even the series in game two of the four-game set on Tuesday night at Osceola County Stadium. The matchup will feature two Louisville Cardinal alums in LHP Drew Harrington (4-2, 1.88) for the Fire Frogs against LHP Josh Rogers (2-3, 3.00) of the Yankees. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m., with coverage starting at 6:50 p.m. on the Florida Fire Frogs Broadcasting Network.
The second matchup of the four-game series is Fire Rum Tuesday at Osceola County Stadium, where fans can enjoyo $3 Fire Rum mixed drinks and $2 tostones. Game two will also be Service Industry Night, where members of the service industry can purchase tickets at the gate for 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.