BRADENTON, Fla. -- The Tarpons collected 15 hits and built up a nine-run lead before holding on to beat the Marauders, 10-8, on Friday night. Tampa (22-26, 57-61) is now 5-0 at LECOM Park and 9-2 against Bradenton (15-30, 50-60) in the season-series.Ben Ruta and Diego Castillo each logged a
BRADENTON, Fla. -- The Tarpons collected 15 hits and built up a nine-run lead before holding on to beat the Marauders, 10-8, on Friday night. Tampa (22-26, 57-61) is now 5-0 at LECOM Park and 9-2 against Bradenton (15-30, 50-60) in the season-series.
Ben Ruta and Diego Castillo each logged a four-hit performance to pace the offense. Ruta (4-for-5, 3B, 2B, 4RBI, 2R) fell a home run shy of the cycle and now has 7 RBI over his last two games. Castillo (4-for-4, 2B, Sac-B, R, SB) had his second four-hit game of the season, adding to the one he had on June 19th at Fort Myers.
Castillo doubled and Dom Thompson-Williams walked with one out in the first. Isiah Gilliam reached as Castillo was forced out at third and Ruta followed with a two-out, two-run double down the left field line, giving Tampa a 2-0 lead.
Both sides went down in order in the second, but the Tarpons sent all nine batters to the plate against LHP Domingo Robles and scored four more runs in the third.
Estevan Florial doubled and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Castillo. After a walk by Thompson-Williams, Florial scored on a base hit by Gilliam. Ruta loaded the bases with an infield hit and Hoy Jun Park followed with a two-run single. A base hit by Angel Aguilar reloaded the bags and Ruta scored on a groundout by Jason Lopez .
RHP Nick Green retired the first six batters he faced before Casey Hughston pushed a leadoff bunt single in the third. A walk and a fielder's choice moved Hughston to third before he scored as Adrian Valerio reached on a fielder's choice.
Tampa answered with three more runs off Robles in the fourth. Florial doubled and advanced to third on a single by Castillo before scoring on a double by Thompson-Williams. After a strikeout by Gilliam, Ruta lined a two-run single into center, scoring Castillo and Thompson-Williams for a 9-1 lead.
Robles (L, 0-1) allowed nine earned runs on 11 hits in three and a third innings in his debut with Bradenton. The 20-year-old issued three walks, tallied three strikeouts and threw 51 of 82 pitches for strikes.
RHP Adam Oller relieved Robles and got a double play to end the fourth before working a perfect fifth. A second double play got Oller through the sixth before Ruta blasted a leadoff triple in the seventh. A passed ball by catcher John Bormann allowed Ruta to later score, giving the Tarpons a nine-run cushion.
After working scoreless innings in the fourth, fifth and sixth, Green entered the seventh and allowed base hits to four of the first five batters, including RBI singles by Bormann and Brett Pope. A wild pitch scored Bormann before Valerio reached on an error by Castillo at shortstop. Pope then scored on a sacrifice fly by Bligh Madris.
LHP Justin Kamplain relieved Green and, after walking Albert Baur, struck out Hunter Owen to end the seventh. Kamplain followed by retiring the side in order in the eighth and returned for the ninth.
Pope reached on a hit-by-pitch with one out, but was forced out at second as Valerio reached on a fielder's choice. A pinch-hit single by Raul Siri kept the game alive and Baur followed with a towering three-run homer to right, cutting the lead to 10-8.
RHP Greg Weissert (SV, 3) entered for Kamplain and struck out Owen to end the game, securing his second save in as many nights.
Florial (2-for-6, 2 2B's, 2R) and Aguilar (2-for-5) contributed multi-hit games. Lopez (0-for-5, RBI) made his Tarpons debut. Thompson-Williams (1-for-3, 2B, 2BB, RBI, 3R) is batting .393 (11-for-28) with 10 runs scored over an eight-game hitting streak.
The series continues on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. RHP Garrett Whitlock (4-3, 2.61) will square off against RHP Gavin Wallace (2-1, 5.75). Live play-by-play audio will be available on the Tarpons Radio Network.
