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Charlotte Stone Crabs

Bats Come Alive in Loss

April 26, 2016 - Florida State League (FSL1)
Charlotte Stone Crabs News Release


Charlotte Stone Crabs Catcher Nick Ciuffo
Charlotte Stone Crabs Catcher Nick Ciuffo
(Charlotte Stone Crabs, Credit: Jim Donten)

PORT CHARLOTTE, FL - The Florida State League isn't known for its hitting, but the St. Lucie Mets and Charlotte Stone Crabs tried to re-align the league averages in one night

The Mets busted out 14 hits and the Stone Crabs countered with 11, but it was the visitors that converted them into more runs, winning 10-5 on Tuesday night at Charlotte Sports Park.

Charlotte starter Greg Harris, fresh off seven innings of shutout ball against the same Mets squad last week, struggled with his command early. Harris walked Michael Katz to lead off the second and threw a wild pitch to advance the runner. John Mora tripled into right-center, scoring Katz, and Tomas Nido followed it up with a ground-rule double to make it 2-0.

Harris's struggles continued in the third. Luis Guillorme and Amed Rosario hit back-to-back one-out singles, and Katz walked again to load the bases. Mora hit a sac fly to center to score Guillorme and put the Mets in front 3-0.

The Stone Crabs showed a ton of guts in a hellacious fourth-inning comeback. With one out, Bralin Jackson scorched a single to left-center, and Nick Ciuffo proceeded to smash a double to the wall in right to put Jackson on third. Mac James stepped up a drilled a Josh Prevost (2-1) offering into left-center, scoring two and ending up on second. Alec Sole singled to bring in James and tie the game, and Riley Unroe delivered a go-ahead triple into right-center two batters later.

All in all, the Stone Crabs scored four runs on six hits in the fourth inning with three extra-base hits. Charlotte finished the night with four extra-base knocks, a season high.

It was also a banner night for the catcher Ciuffo, who threw out three attempted basestealers in addition to his double. Ciuffo has caught 12 of the 18 would-be thieves he's attempted to nab this season.

But the Mets weren't done. With two out in the seventh, Edwin Fierro (0-1) walked Guillorme, bringing up top Mets prospect Rosario. The Amazins' shortstop of the future blasted a home run off the scoreboard in left, putting the Mets ahead, 5-4. St. Lucie only really blew the game open in the eighth, when a series of six consecutive soft grounders found holes in either the infield or a defender's glove. It was 7-4 when Rosario stepped up again to deliver the crushing blow, a two-run triple the other way that scored Champ Stuart and Guillorme.

The Mets picked up another run in the ninth on a Wuilmer Becerra double, though the Stone Crabs reclaimed it in the bottom half. Grant Kay cracked a hard base-hit into left field, scoring Sole to make it 10-5.

The series continues tomorrow night at Charlotte Sports Park, as RHP Chris Pike (0-1, 3.31) looks to end the Stone Crabs' three-game skid against Mets RHP Chris Flexen (0-3, 4.82). First pitch is scheduled for 6:35. It's the first-ever $2 Wednesday, with $2 parking, reserved tickets, hot dogs, and fountain sodas. For tickets, visit stonecrabsbaseball.com, call 941-206-HITS, or come to the FCB Box Office anytime from 10 am through the game.

Check out the Charlotte Stone Crabs Statistics




Images from this story

Charlotte Stone Crabs Catcher Nick Ciuffo
Charlotte Stone Crabs Catcher Nick Ciuffo
(Jim Donten)		   

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Florida State League Stories from April 26, 2016


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