'Tees Rally to Top Threshers in Seesaw Battle

Published on May 24, 2013 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Brevard County Manatees News Release


VIERA, Fla. - Another long night for the Brevard County Manatees' bullpen was backed up by timely offense in a 5-4 victory over the Clearwater Threshers on Friday night at Space Coast Stadium.

Starting pitcher Drew Gagnon was forced to leave the game after being hit by a line drive as he used his right forearm to protect his head.

Gagnon was able to pick the ball up and toss it to first for the out and then struck out the final batter of the inning, but did not return for the third. Preliminary tests came up negative for fractures, though while recording one strikeout.

Nick Ramirez picked the 'Tees (26-21) up in the bottom of the inning after Gagnon's injury as he led off with his team-high eighth homer of the year.

Ben McMahan followed him with a single and then a pair of walks loaded the bases with nobody out. Lance Roenicke then grounded into a double play to plate McMahan to make it a 2-0 lead.

Clearwater (23-24) scored one run in both the fifth and sixth innings, with extra-base hits leading off each inning, to tie the game up.

Logan Moore's second home run of the season off of Stephen Peterson to cut the deficit in half in the fifth and then Maikel Franco opened the sixth with a double off of Tyler Cravy and later scored on Cameron Perkins' single up the middle.

Yet another run in the seventh off of Cravy gave the Threshers their first lead of the night, with Moore taking a leadoff walk and stealing a base before Aaron Altherr knocked an RBI single to center.

Three runs in the bottom half of that frame put Brevard County up for good, with all three runs coming with two outs.

Brandon Macias started the rally with his second long ball of the year, a solo shot to tie the game. Behind him, Greg Hopkins singled and moved to second on a throwing error as he would have been picked off the base paths. Hopkins was 3-for-4 on the night with two doubles.

Mitch Haniger's double sent him across the plate and then Haniger would score on a Cameron Garfield single to give the Manatees a 5-3 lead.

In the top of the eighth, Clearwater used back-to-back two-out hits off of Tommy Toledo to Brevard's lead to 5-4, with Chris Serritella smacking a double and then scoring on Jonathan Roof's bloop single to right field.

Toledo though would set the Threshers down in order in the ninth to earn his fifth save of the season and his first save of more than three outs this season.

The win for the Manatees, coupled with Dunedin's loss to Tampa, moves Brevard County just one game back of the Blue Jays for first place in the Florida State League North Division.

Game two of the series is set for 6:35 p.m. on Saturday, with Brevard's David Goforth (4-4, 2.79) looking for his fourth straight win. He will be opposed by left-hander Mario Hollands (2-0, 2.45) for the Threshers.

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Florida State League Stories from May 24, 2013


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