Tarpons beat the Sunday heat…and the Threshers, 11-5 

TAMPA, Fla. - On a day when the feel-like temperature was above 110 degrees, the Tampa Tarpons' (21-21) bats were just as hot as they exploded for 11 runs in Sunday’s victory against the Clearwater Threshers (27-15) at George M. Steinbrenner Field. DH Omar Martinez, LF Coby Morales, and C Manuel Palencia carried the offense, each picking up three hits. Every Tarpon reached base at least once on the way to an eleven-run performance.

RHP Ryan Harvey (3.0IP, 3H, R, 2BB, 4K) gave up an early run but settled in to throw two scoreless innings after the first. His fastball accounted for 75% of his pitch usage, and all four of his strikeouts came with the pitch.

Emaarion Boyd drew a free pass to start the day. After swiping second base, Felix Reyes singled to put runners on the corners. Zach Arnold gave the Threshers the lead with another base knock, bringing home Boyd.

Tampa tied the game up with a first-inning, two-out rally. Martinez walked, and Morales turned around a fastball to the centerfield wall. Martinez put on the afterburners to score all the way from first base.

Once again, the Tarpons came through with two outs. In the second, 3B Beau Brewer walked, and 2B Jose Colmenares laced a base hit up the middle to score Brewer, who was on second base after a wild pitch. The base hit broke the tie and gave the Tarpons a one-run advantage.

Tampa grew their lead in the third; it started with a swinging bunt from SS Roc Riggio that he beat out for an infield single. 1B Kiko Romero singled to right field and RF Garrett Martin walked to load the bases. Palencia brought two more home when he dumped a single into shallow right field to grow the lead to three runs.

Reyes singled with one gone in the fifth. After stealing second, he came home on a fielding error. With Arnold on second, Bryson Ware destroyed a game-tying home run to left. Ware’s two-run shot got out of in a hurry and cleared the second deck in left field.

Tampa answered right back to break the tie. Romero reached via error, and Martinez singled to reach base for the second time. Morales doubled to the warning track in center field to regain the lead. With Martinez and Morales both in scoring position, a wild pitch brought home Martinez, and an RBI single from Palencia plated Morales. CF Daury Arias drew a free pass, and then Brewer singled to left, bringing in Palencia, who collided at home plate with Jordan Dissin to knock the ball loose and give Tampa a four-run lead. A double steal gave the Tarpons their fifth run in the fifth. Brewer took off for second base and drew a throw, which allowed Arias to make his way home to pad the lead.

Just like Tampa did last night, Clearwater loaded the bases in the sixth without a hit. However, RHP Anderson Munoz, who is on a rehab assignment from Somerset, limited Clearwater to one run. With the bases full, Reyes bounced into a double play to bring home the only run of the frame. Clearwater had runners on the corners with two away when Munoz threw a wild pitch to the backstop. Then the magic happened: the ball kicked off the backstop right back to Munoz, who was running to cover home. Munoz caught the ball in stride just in time to tag out Jordan Viars to end the inning on one of the weirdest plays of Tampa’s season.

After Martinez picked up his second double of the game in the eighth, Morales one-upped him with his third double of the game, a ground-rule double to center field. All of Morales’ doubles brought home a run as Martinez scored from second. Palencia drove in his fourth run of the day with his third hit, a single to center, to make the Tarpons’ lead six runs.

The Tarpons will make their way to Daytona to take on the Tortugas in a six-game set starting Tuesday. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m., with the projected starter listed as RHP Justin Lange.