CLEARWATER, Fla. - The resilient Tampa Tarpons completed a three-game sweep of the Clearwater Threshers by scoring two runs in the ninth to come back in a 3-2 victory on Sunday afternoon at Spectrum Field. It was Tampa's second-straight come-from-behind win, and just the second road win when trailing after
CLEARWATER, Fla. - The resilient Tampa Tarpons completed a three-game sweep of the Clearwater Threshers by scoring two runs in the ninth to come back in a 3-2 victory on Sunday afternoon at Spectrum Field. It was Tampa's second-straight come-from-behind win, and just the second road win when trailing after eight innings.
Estevan Florial opened the scoring by blasting a home run off the middle of the batter's eye in the first inning off RHP Kyle Glogoski, giving the Tarpons (22-21, 50-59) an early 1-0 lead. It was Florial's fifth home run of the season - all of which have been hit on the road.
Glogoski retired 10 of the next 11 batters he faced before Steven Sensley , Diego Castillo and Wilkerman Garcia reached on three-straight one-out singles in the fourth, but Donny Sands hit into a lineout double-play to end the frame.
RHP Alexander Vizcaino faced the minimum in the first and stranded a two-out single in the second before working around two hits and a walk in the third.
Matt Vierling walked to begin the fourth and took second on a base hit by Madison Stokes. Daniel Brito advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt, and Vierling scored to tie the game for Clearwater (20-26, 56-56) on a sacrifice fly by Nick Matera.
Pablo Olivares reached on a hit-by-pitch, and Florial singled with two outs in the fifth, but Glogoski stranded the pair. The 20-year-old allowed one earned run on six hits and a hit-batter in five innings, walking none while striking out two on 71 pitches (40 strikes).
After retiring the side on six pitches in the fifth, Vizcaíno issued a leadoff walk by Nick Maton in the sixth. A base hit and a walk loaded the bases with no outs, and Maton scored on a go-ahead sacrifice fly by Brito before Matera hit into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double-play.
Vizcaíno returned for the seventh but left after yielding a leadoff single by Dalton Guthrie. The 22-year-old logged his third-straight quality start (second with Tampa), allowing two earned runs on seven hits in six innings, walking four while striking out five on 86 pitches (53 strikes).
LHP Zach Warren tossed a 1-2-3 sixth before Tampa loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh on a strikeout/wild-pitch and a pair of infield hits. Olivares grounded into a force out at the plate, and Florial struck out before Oswaldo Cabrera grounded out as Warren escaped.
Inheriting a runner in the seventh, LHP Anderson Severino got a pair of strikeouts while working around a hit-batter, stranding a pair. The hard-throwing southpaw then added two more before punchouts while stranding a leadoff double by Vierling in the eighth.
RHP Tyler Carr replaced Warren in the eighth and tallied two strikeouts in a perfect frame. Carr returned for the ninth, and Sands pulled a 2-2 pitch down the left field line. Left-fielder Simon Muzziotti fired into second, but Sands swam around Guthrie's tag for a leadoff double.
Leonardo Molina followed with a double down the left field line, scoring Sands to tie the game. Molina took third on a sacrifice bunt by Omar Carrizales and, after drawing a walk, Olivares stole second, prompting the Threshers to intentionally walk Florial.
Cabrera followed with a fly ball to mid-way centerfield. Molina tagged and scored the go-ahead run, beating a throw to the plate by Jhailyn Ortiz from centerfield. Carr intentionally walked Sensley before getting Castillo to ground into a force out, stranding the bases full.
Severino (W, 2-1) returned for the ninth and added his season-high fifth strikeout while retiring the side in order to close out the win. The 24-year-old retired nine-of-11 batters faced over a season-high three scoreless relief innings.
Olivares (1-for-3, BB, HBP) extended his hitting streak to 11 games and tied St. Lucie's Cody Bohanek for the league-lead in HBPs with 18. Florial (2-for-4, HR, BB, RBI, R) reached base three times while recording his second-straight multi-hit game. Molina (2-for-4, 2B, RBI, R) is batting .412 (14-for-34) with 9RBI over his last 10 games.
Up next, the Tarpons play a three-game series against the Lakeland Flying Tigers at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. RHP Clarke Schmidt (3-4, 3.38) is scheduled to start against RHP Elvin Rodriguez (9-6, 3.68) in the series-opener on Monday at 6:30 p.m. Live play-by-play will be available on the Tampa Tarpons Baseball Network.
