Wagner's 17th Homer Decides 2-1 Win in Lakeland

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Nick Nelson tossed six shutout innings and Brandon Wagner hit a game-winning home run in the seventh as the Tampa Tarpons pulled out a 2-1 win over the Lakeland Flying Tigers to even the series on Saturday night at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium.
Diego Castillo drew a four-pitch walk with one out in the first, but was later caught stealing. Lakeland starter Alfred Gutierrez went on to retire 17-straight Tarpons.
Nelson faced two-on with no outs in the first, but a double play and a groundout ended the early threat by the Flying Tigers (10-4, 46-38). Nelson then stranded a leadoff double in the second before working around a leadoff single in the third.
Tampa (8-7, 43-42) was held hitless until Castillo one-hopped the right field wall with a one out double in the seventh. Brandon Wagner followed by crushing a two-run home run to right, giving the Tarpons a 2-0 lead.
Nelson (W, 4-2) retired 11 of the final 13 batters he faced, stranding a pair of walks in the sixth. The 22-year-old scattered three hits and three walks over six innings, striking out five while throwing 47 of 81 pitches for strikes.
LHP Trevor Lane (H, 3) struck out four of the six batters he faced in a pair of perfect relief innings in the seventh and eighth.
Gutierrez (L, 1-3) took a no-hitter into the seventh and logged his second-straight quality start. The 23-year-old held Tampa to two earned runs on two hits and one walk in six and a third innings, tallying a season-high eight strikeouts while throwing 63 of 95 pitches for strikes.
Lakeland cut the lead in half when Kade Scivicque clubbed a solo home run in the ninth, but RHP Matt Wivinis (SV, 5) worked around it to secure the save.
Castillo (2-for-3, 2B, BB, R, CS) reached base three times and logged his 21st multi-hit game. Wagner (1-for-4, HR, 2RBI, R) leads all Yankees minor leaguers with 17 homers and 48 RBI.
RHP Wladimir Pinto and RHP Eduardo Jiménez combined to strike out three while holding the Tarpons to two hits in two and two-third relief innings.
The series concludes on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. RHP Adonis Rosa (8-2, 3.84) will face LHP Gregory Soto (4-3, 4.72) in the rubber match to decide the series. Live play-by-play audio will be available on the Tarpons Radio Network.