Clearwater Comes up Short in 6-5 Loss
August 21, 2015 - Florida State League (FSL1)
Clearwater Threshers News Release
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Dylan Cozens knocked a pair of hits to lead the offense, but the Clearwater Threshers could not overcome an early deficit in falling 6-5 to the Brevard County Manatees on Friday night at Bright House Field.
Cozens finished 2-for-4, including an RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base. The Threshers outfielder is now batting .351 in 27 games in the second half.
Clearwater (34-21) fell behind early, as the Manatees rallied for a pair of two-out runs in the first.
David Whitehead struck out back-to-back batters to start the game, before issuing walks to Clint Coulter and Garrett Cooper. Consecutive RBI singles by Dustin Houle and Jose Pena made it 2-0.
After the Manatees (23-30) added a run in the second, Malquin Canelo drove home Aaron Brown with a double to get the Threshers on the board in the bottom half.
Brevard County extended its advantage with three more runs off Whitehead (7-11) in the third, jumping ahead 6-1.
Clearwater grabbed one back in the home half. Cozens led off with a single, stole second, and would advance to third on an error by the catcher Houle. Andrew Pullin brought Cozens in with a grounder to short to make it 6-2.
The Threshers then took advantage of another miscue to plate three runs without a hit against Johnny Hellweg in the fourth. Mitch Walding and Canelo each walked, and Jesmuel Valentin put down a sac bunt which was thrown away by Hellweg, permitting Walding to score and moving both Canelo and Valentin into scoring position.
Carlos Tocci followed with a sacrifice fly to center, and Cozens pushed across Valentin with a grounder to cut the deficit to one.
Cody Forsythe turned in two scoreless innings in relief, allowing two hits and no walks while striking out three. 24 of his 27 pitches were for strikes. Alberto Tirado took the final two, tossing two hitless frames and picking up three strikeouts.
Clearwater pitching racked up 12 strikeouts total, making it the fifth time in the last six contests that the Threshers have collected ten or more strikeouts in a game.
The Threshers will battle Brevard County for the rubber match of the three-game series on Saturday, with first pitch at 6:30 p.m. Victor Arano (4-11) takes the hill against the Manatees' Javier Salas (7-8), and the call can be heard live on the Threshers Broadcast Network starting at 6:15 p.m.
Saturday will be Super Hero and Sci-Fi Night at Bright House Field, with over 40 characters on-hand and post-game fireworks to follow. Tickets can be purchased here or at the Threshers Box Office.
Florida State League Stories from August 21, 2015
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- Junior Arias Homers Twice in 8-4 Win Friday - Daytona Tortugas
- Hammerheads Blank Stone Crabs 3-0 - Charlotte Stone Crabs
- Clearwater Comes up Short in 6-5 Loss - Clearwater Threshers
- D-Jays Shut out by Lakeland, 4-0 - Dunedin Blue Jays
- Marauders Crush Fort Myers 9-3 - Bradenton Marauders
- Cardinals Come Back to Edge Mets 3-2 - St. Lucie Mets
- Marauders Sink Miracle, 9-3, to Even Series - Fort Myers Mighty Mussels
- Utne Named FSL Athletic Trainer of the Year - Daytona Tortugas
- Threshers Win Big over Manatees, 11-1 - Clearwater Threshers
- Hammerheads Take Opener 3-1 - Charlotte Stone Crabs
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