TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Tarpons (26-24) fell back into third place in the Florida State League North Standings by dropping both ends of a doubleheader to the Lakeland Flying Tigers (26-22), 5-1 and 6-3, on Tuesday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field.The teams were forced to turn a three-game
TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Tarpons (26-24) fell back into third place in the Florida State League North Standings by dropping both ends of a doubleheader to the Lakeland Flying Tigers (26-22), 5-1 and 6-3, on Tuesday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
The teams were forced to turn a three-game series into a five-game set thanks to a pair of rainouts in Lakeland on 5/19-20. After a full nine-inning game on Wednesday, Tampa and Lakeland will play another twin bill on Thursday.
Nick Green retired the first six batters he faced before Lakeland struck in the third inning of Game One. Back-to-back singles and a sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third with one out and Cam Gibson picked up an RBI with a groundout to shortstop, giving the Flying Tigers a 1-0 lead.
Ben Ruta lined a leadoff double in the first but was later thrown out at the plate trying to advance from third on a wild pitch.
Lakeland starter Anthony Castro retired 12-straight batters following Ruta's double. Isiah Gilliam and Hoy Jun Park broke up the streak with two-straight singles, putting runner on the corners in the fifth. Dom Thompson Williams hit a grounder to third and Gilliam was thrown out at the plate. A groundout by Kellin Deglan ended the frame.
Green kept the score at 1-0 until Daniel Pinero belted a leadoff homer in the seventh. Zac Shepherd followed with a single and, one out later, LHP Trevor Lane entered in relief. Derek Hill drew a walk and Gibson smashed a three-run homer to center.
Tampa avoided a shutout when Brandon Wagner led off the bottom of the seventh with his eighth homer of the season. Park added a one-out single, but Castro finished the game with a pair of strikeouts.
Green (L, 4-2) logged his sixth quality start, yielding three earned runs on six hits in six and a third. The right-hander walked two, struck out one and threw 60 of 97 pitches for strikes.
Castro (W, 3-2) tossed his first complete game of the season, allowing one earned run on six hits in seven innings. The righty tallied a season-high eight strikeouts without issuing a walk and threw 64 of 91 pitches for strikes.
RHP Matt Frawley made his first-career start in Game Two and the Flying Tigers jumped on him quickly. Gibson legged out a leadoff infield single and stole second. Two strikeouts later, Dylan Burdeaux lined an RBI double into center.
Tampa tallied four-straight hits off Lakeland starter Eudis Idrogo in the bottom of the first. Ruta belted a leadoff homer to tie the game. Diego Castillo singled into center and scored when Palma smacked an opposite field homer into right, giving the Tarpons a 3-1 lead. Gilliam singled, but was caught stealing as Idrogo ended the frame.
Lakeland promptly took back the lead in the second when Anthony Pereira and Andres Sthormes both singled and scored on a go-ahead three-run homer by Hill.
Frawley (L, 0-3) allowed four earned runs on five hits in two and a third, striking out five without allowing a walk and threw 34 of 48 pitches for strikes.
Idrogo faced the minimum in his final three innings. The southpaw allowed three earned runs on five hits in four frames, striking out two while walking none and threw 40 of 66 pitches for strikes.
RHP David Sosebee retired eight of the nine batters he faced in two and two-third innings of relief, walking one while striking out three. RHP Brian Trieglaff followed with a perfect sixth.
The Flying Tigers added insurance off Trieglaff in the seventh when Luke Burch lined a two-out, two-run single. Trieglaff allowed a pair of runs on three hits in two innings.
RHP Fernando Perez (W, 2-1) tossed a perfect fifth to notch the win in relief. RHP Alfred Gutierrez (H, 4) stranded a leadoff single by Ruta in a scoreless sixth. RHP Eduardo Jiménez (SV, 8) tossed a 1-2-3 seventh, moving into a tie for the league lead in saves.
Ruta (4-for-6, HR, 2B, RBI, R), Castillo (2-for-6, 3B, R) and Gilliam (2-for-6) all hit safely in both games. Park (2-for-6) had a multi-hit game in Game One before snapping an 11-game on-base streak in Game Two.
The series continues on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. RHP Will Carter (0-1, 0.00) is scheduled to start for Tampa against Lakeland RHP Tom de Block (2-4, 6.69). Live play-by-play audio will be available on the Tarpons Radio Network.
On "Wing Deal Wednesday," fans can enjoy wing specials all night long: six wings for $5, 12 wings for $9 and 20 wings for $15.
