TAMPA, Fla. - Alexander Palma blasted a game-tying home run in the fourth, and Oswaldo Cabrera delivered a go-ahead RBI double in the sixth as the Tampa Tarpons came back to defeat the Palm Beach Cardinals, 4-2, on Tuesday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field.Nolan Gorman and Luken Baker hit
TAMPA, Fla. - Alexander Palma blasted a game-tying home run in the fourth, and Oswaldo Cabrera delivered a go-ahead RBI double in the sixth as the Tampa Tarpons came back to defeat the Palm Beach Cardinals, 4-2, on Tuesday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Nolan Gorman and Luken Baker hit back-to-back, two-out doubles to put Palm Beach (18-35, 53-64) ahead in the first. Nick Plummer doubled in the second and took third on a two-out infield single by Ivan Herrera before scoring on a throwing error by RHP Janson Junk .
After throwing 42 pitches in the first two innings, Junk (W, 4-6) scattered four more base runners while completing a season-high six and a third innings. The 23-year-old allowed two earned runs on eight hits, walking two while striking out two on 103 pitches (61 strikes).
RHP Michael Baird retired nine of the first 11 batters he faced, stranding a leadoff single by Palma in the second and a leadoff walk by Kyle Gray in the third before Cabrera hit a leadoff double in the fourth. Palma followed with a home run to left, tying the game at 2-2.
Diego Castillo followed with a flyout to the warning track in left before Baird left the game. The 24-year-old allowed two earned runs on three hits in three and a third innings, walking one while striking out three on 57 pitches (35 strikes).
LHP Patrick Dayton relieved Baird and kept the score tied before Estevan Florial drew a leadoff walk in the sixth. Florial took second on a wild pitch and scored when Cabrera lined a double to right, putting Tampa (26-26, 54-64) ahead, 3-2, before getting thrown out at third.
Palma and Castillo followed with back-to-back singles, and Dayton (L, 3-2) hit Steven Sensley with a pitch, loading the bases with one out. RHP Ramon Santos entered and, one out later, walked Gray to force home Palma before getting a strikeout to end the frame.
RHP Daniel Bies replaced Junk with a runner at first and one out in the seventh and, after a base hit by Hurst, got back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning. Bies (SV, 1) added two more strikeouts while stranding two runners in the eighth and added two more in a 1-2-3 ninth.
Palma (3-for-3, HR, BB, 2RBI, 2R) reached base four times, including his eighth home run (fourth with Tampa). Cabrera (2-for-4, 2 2B, RBI, R) leads the Tarpons with 24 doubles. Castillo (1-for-3, BB) and Jason Lopez (0-for-3, BB) each extended on-base streak to 11 games.
The series continues on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., with RHP Miguel Yajure (7-6, 2.04) getting the start against RHP Kyle Leahy (0-3, 4.85). Live play-by-play will be available on the Tampa Tarpons Baseball Network.
On "WOWW Wednesday," fans can enjoy half-priced Wings, Wine and White Claws from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
