BRADENTON, Fla. - RHP Shawn Semple held Bradenton (3-2, 39-32) scoreless as Tampa took a 3-0 lead into the eighth, but the Marauders rallied for four runs off LHP JP Sears and stunned the Tarpons with a 4-3 win on Friday night at LECOM Park.RHP Max Kranick retired the first
BRADENTON, Fla. - RHP Shawn Semple held Bradenton (3-2, 39-32) scoreless as Tampa took a 3-0 lead into the eighth, but the Marauders rallied for four runs off LHP JP Sears and stunned the Tarpons with a 4-3 win on Friday night at LECOM Park.
RHP Max Kranick retired the first two Tarpons hitters before Dermis Garcia smashed an opposite-field home run off the boardwalk behind the right field wall. Isiah Gilliam followed with a double and scored on a base hit by Angel Aguilar .
Pablo Olivares kept the inning alive with an infield single, but Kranick got a pop-out by Diego Castillo to end the frame, with Tampa (1-3, 29-41) leading, 2-0.
Kranick retired nine-straight hitters, including a strikeout of Aguilar in the fourth. Aguilar had drilled a line drive down the left field line earlier in the at-bat. Home plate umpire Kelvis Velez ruled "foul ball." After striking out, Aguilar argued the call and was promptly ejected by Velez.
Back-to-back singles by Olivares and Castillo, plus a throwing error by Kranick, put runners on the corners to open the seventh. Jason Lopez followed with a base hit to left, scoring Olivares. One out later, Kranick got a double-play groundout by Estevan Florial to end the inning.
Kranick allowed three earned runs on nine hits in seven innings, walking one while striking out four on 95 pitches (67 strikes) in his seventh quality start of the season.
Semple faced one batter over the minimum while scattering two hits over six and one-third scoreless innings, matching his longest outing of his career. The 23-year-old tallied three strikeouts without issuing a walk on 81 pitches (54 strikes).
Oswaldo Cabrera smashed a leadoff double off RHP Shea Murray in the eighth. Murray (W, 1-0) struck out Garcia and Gilliam before getting a groundout by David Metzgar to end the frame, keeping the score at 3-0.
Sears got two quick outs to finish a perfect seventh before returning for the bottom of the eighth. After a leadoff walk by Lucas Tancas, Rodolfo Castro and Raul Siri followed with back-to-back singles, scoring Tancas. Sears then hit Raul Hernandez with a pitch, loading the bases.
Adrian Valerio stepped to the plate and, with a 1-2 count, Sears made a wild pitch. Castro scored as Lopez overthrew Sears (L, 3-4) at the plate, allowing Siri to score the tying run and Hernandez to take third. Valerio followed with a sacrifice fly, giving Bradenton a 4-3 lead.
Travis Swaggerty drew a four-pitch walk and stole second before advancing to third on a second throwing error by Lopez before Sears struck out Lolo Sanchez. RHP Matt Wivinis entered in relief and struck out Cal Mitchell to maintain the one-run deficit.
RHP Samuel Reyes relieved Murray in the ninth and got a pair of lineouts by Olivares and Castillo before Lopez singled into center. Sandy Mota pinch-ran for Lopez, but Reyes (SV, 1) got a flyout by Omar Carrizales to end the game.
Tampa outhit Bradenton, 11-4, with four Tarpons logging multi-hit games, including Gilliam (2-for-4, 2B, R), Olivares (2-for-4, R), Castillo (2-for-4, 2B) and Lopez (2-for-4, RBI). Garcia (1-for-4, HR, RBI, R) leads the Florida State League with 15 HRs and 49 RBI.
RHP Janson Junk (2-3, 5.23) is slated to face RHP Nicholas Economos (2-2, 2.63) when the series continues on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Live play-by-play of the action will be available on the Tampa Tarpons Baseball Network.
