CLEARWATER, Fla. - After trailing 5-1 in the third, the Tampa Tarpons scored 11 unanswered runs to come back and defeat the Clearwater Threshers, 12-5, to clinch the weekend series on Saturday night at Spectrum Field.The charge was led by a pair of RBI triples from Estevan Florial and a
CLEARWATER, Fla. - After trailing 5-1 in the third, the Tampa Tarpons scored 11 unanswered runs to come back and defeat the Clearwater Threshers, 12-5, to clinch the weekend series on Saturday night at Spectrum Field.
The charge was led by a pair of RBI triples from Estevan Florial and a multi-homer game by Steven Sensley - his second multi-HR game in his last three games. 12 runs scored and six extra-base hits both tie season-highs for the Tarpons.
Tampa (21-21, 49-59) opened the scoring with a run off rehabbing RHP Jared Eickoff in the first. Pablo Olivares reached on a hit-by-pitch, and Florial walked on four pitches before Oswaldo Cabrera grounded an RBI single into right field.
Eickhoff induced a double-play before leaving the game, throwing 12-of-23 pitches for strikes while yielding one earned run on one hit and one walk in two-thirds of a frame. The Phillies' starter has been on the injured list with right biceps tendinitis since June 17.
RHP Luis Gil made his second start since his promotion to Tampa and retired seven of the first eight batters he faced before issuing a one-out walk by Matt Kroon in the third. Kroon took second on a wild pitch and stole third before scoring on an infield hit by Daniel Brito.
Rafael Marchan followed with a single to right, and Brito then scored on a double to right by Jhailyn Ortiz. A base hit to left by Matt Vierling allowed Marchan to score before Gil hit Simon Muzziotti, loading the bases for Clearwater (20-25, 56-55).
Madison Stokes delivered a sacrifice fly to left before a double-steal by Vierling and Muzziotti. Vierling then scored as Ben Aklinski legged out an infield single, giving the Threshers a 5-1 lead. After walking Dalton Guthrie, Gil got a flyout by Kroon to leave the bases loaded.
Gil allowed five earned runs on five hits, two walks and a hit-batter, collecting a pair of strikeouts while throwing 44 of 76 pitches for strikes.
RHP Alejandro Requena retired eight of the first nine batters he faced in relief of Eickhoff before Wilkerman Garcia singled in the fourth. Diego Castillo followed with a double to the wall in left, scoring Garcia to cut the deficit to 5-2.
Leonardo Molina blasted a leadoff homer to left in the fifth, and Olivares followed with a walk before scoring on a triple into the left field corner by Florial. A wild pitch by Requena allowed Florial to score, tying the game at 5-5.
RHP Kyle Zurak (W, 4-3) relieved Gil in the fourth and retired 12-of-13 batters faced while tying a career-high with four innings of relief. The 24-year-old stranded a leadoff single in the sixth while tallying four strikeouts.
In the sixth, Jason Lopez and Molina hit back-to-back one-out singles before Olivares reached on a hit-by-pitch, loading the bases. Florial plated all three runners with a triple off the centerfield wall before scoring on a groundout by Cabrera, giving Tampa a 9-5 lead.
Requena (L, 7-9) tied a career-high by allowing eight earned runs on eight hits and a hit-batter in four and two-third innings, tallying three strikeouts on 90 pitches (62 strikes).
The Tarpons tacked on two more when Castillo greeted RHP Austin Ross with a leadoff single in the seventh before scoring on a towering two-run blast to right by Sensley. The home run traveled approximately 469 feet as it left Spectrum Field.
Clearwater pitchers retired the next eight Tarpons hitters before Sensley smashed his second homer of the game - a solo blast to right off RHP Gustavo Armas with two outs in the ninth - giving the slugger his fourth-career multi-HR game.
RHP Matt Wivinis worked around a hit and a walk in a scoreless eighth before stranding a two-out hit-batter in the ninth to close the game.
Olivares (1-for-2, BB, 2HBP, 3R) extended his hitting streak to 10 games while reaching base safely in four-of-five plate appearances. Florial (2-for-4, 2 3Bs, BB, 4RBI, 2R) logged his second-career multi-3B game, and his first since August 19, 2015 while with the DSL Yankees 1.
The series concludes on Sunday at 1:00 p.m., with RHP Alexander Vizcaino (1-0, 0.00) slated to start against RHP Kyle Glogoski (1-1, 2.12). Live play-by-play will be available on the Tampa Tarpons Baseball Network.
