Tampa Drops Finale to Dunedin, 4-2

TAMPA, Fla. - In front of a crowd of 5,516 on School Day, plans to complete a series-sweep fell through as the Tampa Yankees (15-19) lost the finale to the Dunedin Blue Jays (18-16), 4-2, on Wednesday afternoon at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Tampa failed to get timely hits and finished 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position, leaving 10 runners on base.
The Blue Jays rallied for the lead in the second by starting the frame with three-straight singles, capped by an RBI hit by Josh Almonte. One out later, D.J. Davis added his own RBI single, giving Dunedin a 2-0 lead before a double play ended the inning.
LHP Josh Rogers cruised through the next four innings, facing one batter over the minimum, before the Blue Jays struck again. Rogers hit Connor Panas with the first pitch in the seventh before the next offering landed over the right-centerfield wall for a two-run home run by Almonte, doubling the Dunedin lead to 4-0.
LHP Angel Perdomo (W, 3-2) scattered four hits and four walks over five shutout innings, striking out five in the start for Dunedin. The 22-year-old threw 53 of 94 pitches for strikes.
The Almonte home run proved to be costly when the Yankees chipped a way in the eighth against RHP Tom Robson. Jeff Hendrix legged out an infield single and Tito Polo walked to begin the frame. A wild pitch advanced the runners 90 feet. Robson struck out the next two batters before Nick Solak bounced a ball by the glove of first baseman Panas, resulting in a two-run error.
A single by Kyle Holder kept the inning alive before Dunedin turned to its closer, RHP Andrew Case (SV, 4). A fly out ended the eighth and Case continued on to pitch a scoreless ninth, stranding a one-out double by Jorge Mateo.
Rogers (L, 2-3) surrendered four earned runs on seven hits in seven innings, snapping his impressive streak of 20-consecutive quality starts going back to last season. The southpaw tallied seven strikeouts and threw 60 of 86 pitches for strikes without issuing a walk.
Mateo (2-for-5, 2B) had the lone multi-hit game for Tampa. Hendrix (1-for-3, 2BB R) and Solak (1-for-2, 2BB) both reached safely three times. Polo (1-for-4, 2B, BB, R) extended his hitting streak to seven games.
Up next, the T-Yanks begin a three-game series in Clearwater on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. RHP Taylor Widener (1-3, 4.23 ERA) will make the start for Tampa in the series opener against Threshers' RHP Alberto Tirado (1-2, 5.40 ERA). Live audio will be available on the Tampa Yankees Radio Network beginning at 6:50 p.m.
The next home game for the Yankees will be on Friday, May 19^t, against the Daytona Tortugas at 7:00 p.m. As part of "Wing Deal Friday," fans can enjoy all-you-can-eat chicken wings from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. for $10. For tickets and further information, call (813) 673-3055 or visit www.tybaseball.com.