Gomez, Plassmeyer lead Charlotte to ninth straight win

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (July 11, 2019) - Moises Gomez drove in four and Michael Plassmeyer allowed just one run over six innings Thursday, leading the Charlotte Stone Crabs to their ninth straight win, an 11-4 tally over the Florida Fire Frogs at Osceola County Stadium.
Plassmeyer (4-2) allowed one run on six hits over six innings, striking out five without walking a single batter. The Stone Crabs' (53-35, 18-4) starting rotation has now registered a stunning 1.33 ERA since May 31.
Charlotte wasted no time getting on the board against Florida (30-58, 5-17) starter Brooks Wilson (1-2). Michael Smith led off the game with a single on the first pitch. After he stole second and advanced to third on a flyout, Wilson issued a wild pitch to allow Smith to score and give the Stone Crabs a 1-0 lead.
Still up by that margin in the second, Wilson walked the bases loaded with two outs. That brought up Smith, who dropped a two-run double to left. The relay throw was botched, allowing Jake Palomaki to score and make it 4-0 Stone Crabs.
Still up by four in the top of the fourth, Joey Roach singled to right before Garrett Whitley launched an RBI triple to left to bring the margin to 5-0. The next batter was Zach Rutherford , who drove in Whitley with a sacrifice fly to left.
After the Fire Frogs got on the board with a Drew Lugbauer homer in the fifth, the first two Stone Crabs reached base in the top of the seventh. With two outs, Gomez poked a two-run single into right to stretch the lead to 8-1. Gomez drove in two more runs with a double in the ninth before Roach capped the scoring with an RBI single.
The Stone Crabs have begun the second half with their best start in franchise history, notching the best second half mark in Minor League Baseball (18-4).
They'll look to extend their winning streak to ten games against the Tampa Tarpons on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Coverage of the series opener at Charlotte Sports Park begins at 6:15 p.m. on the Stone Crabs Baseball Network.