Tarpons Win Fifth-Straight Despite Scoring Only 12 Runs

TAMPA, Fla. – In the closest game of the season, the Tampa Tarpons (5-0) edged the Dunedin Blue Jays (0-5), 12-11, in yet another high-scoring affair on Saturday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field. The Tarpons have now scored 77 runs, averaging over 15 runs per game.

Dunedin sent all nine batters to the plate against RHP Jhonatan Muñoz in the first, with an RBI single by MacKenzie Mueller and a three-run homer by PK Morris putting the Blue Jays ahead, 4-0. A pair of walks led to two more runs in the third, the first scoring on a Zach Britton single, and another crossing the plate on a double steal, making the score 6-0.

After a quiet first two frames, Tampa’s offense produced in the third off RHP Winder Garcia. Following a leadoff double by Juan De Leon, a pair of one-out walks loaded the bases before a walk by Carlos Narvaez forced home De Leon. Chad Bell followed with a towering grand slam over the wall in right-center, cutting the deficit to 6-5.

The Blue Jays regained a four-run cushion in the fourth when, after a pair of walks, Morris crushed his second three-run homer of the game, giving Dunedin a 9-5 advantage. It was Morris’ second-career multi-HR game, and his first since August 24, 2018 with Bluefield.

Tampa threatened with two on and no outs in the home half of the fourth, but RHP Sem Robberse got a double-play and a strikeout to escape. In the fifth, the Tarpons put the first two aboard and, with one out, Robberse walked both Bell and Elijah Dunham, scoring a run.

RHP Jiorgeny Casimiri (L, 0-1) relieved Robberse and was greeted by a two-run single by Pat DeMarco, followed by a game-tying RBI single by Juan De Leon. Anthony Volpe followed by reaching on a fielder’s choice, and Trevor Hauver hit a three-run homer just over the right field wall – his fifth of the series – to put the Tarpons ahead, 12-9.

RHP Zach Kohn (W, 1-0) entered in relief for Tampa in the fifth and struck out the side. Kohn added two more strikeouts in the sixth, but Dunedin loaded the bases with a base hit, a walk and a catcher’s interference. RHP Connor Pellerin relieved Kohn and issued a pair of run-scoring walks before punching out Miguel Hiraldo, preserving a 12-11 lead.

Dunedin put the go-ahead runners on base with a walk a double to open the seventh. Pellerin struck out Mueller before a walk loaded the bases. Harrison Ray then lined a ball into shallow right-center, and Hauver made a leaping catch for the second out. Pellerin (H, 1) then got Rivera to ground into a fielder’s choice to end the frame.

RHP Trevor Holloway (SV, 1) struck out a pair while retiring the side in order in the eighth, and worked around a leadoff hit in the ninth, striking out Britton before getting Mueller to ground into a game-ending 5-4-3 double-play.

DeMarco (2-for-4, 2B, 2RBI, R) leads the league with 14 RBI. De Leon (2-for-3, 2B, BB, RBI, R) and Chaparro (2-for-5, R, SB) also logged multi-hit games. Burt (1-for-3, HR, BB, 4RBI, 2R) slugged his first-career grand slam. Hauver (1-for-4, HR, BB, 3RBI, 2R) lead the league with 5HR.

The six-game series will wrap up with a Sunday matinee at 12:00 p.m. RHP Matt Sauer (0-0, 0.00) is slated to make his second start, with RHP Rafael Monsion (0-0, -.--) going for Dunedin. On Stay Local Sunday, when fans purchase two (2) Tarpons Sunday game tickets, they receive one (1) FREE pass to a local area attraction.