FSL1 Daytona Tortugas

Clearwater Completes Comeback, Clinches Division

Published on June 24, 2015 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Daytona Tortugas News Release


Daytona Tortugas on the Bench
Daytona Tortugas on the Bench
(Daytona Tortugas, Credit: Aldrin Capulong)

Clearwater, FL - The Daytona Tortugas' (37-33) week-long nightmare came to life on Wednesday at Bright House Field. The Clearwater Threshers (37-33) swept a doubleheader, 6-4 and 3-2, to complete a miraculous comeback and win the FSL North First Half Division Championship. Clearwater holds the head-to-head tiebreaker, 8-4.

The Tortugas suffered their seventh-consecutive loss, and the Threshers won their fifth-straight. Daytona had a five-game division lead with six games remaining in the first half. Clearwater clinches its first playoff berth since winning the FSL Championship in 2007.

Game 1 (6-4 Clearwater) started on Tuesday, but was suspended after the second inning due to nearly two hours of pouring rain. The resumption was scheduled for Wednesday at 12 p.m., but a pop-up thunderstorm pushed first pitch back to 1:40 p.m. The total delay was four hours and 10 minutes.

The nasty weather didn't stop the Tortugas from coming out swinging. Trailing 1-0 after a second-inning sacrifice fly from Chace Numata, Daytona rallied in the third. 2B Carlton Daal reached first on an infield single and scored on a two-run blast from LF Phillip Ervin, his league-leading 11th of the year. The Tortugas had their first lead of the series, 2-1. But Clearwater was playing at a championship level.

RHP Sal Romano (L, 3-2) produced a clean opening inning, but ran into trouble in the third. Andrew Knapp's swinging bunt single started the rally, and he reached third with two away. After a close call on a 3-2 pitch, Romano issued a walk to Mitch Walding to put runners on the corners. Angelo Mora tied the game at 2-2 with a single off 3B Taylor Sparks glove, and Drew Stankiewicz gave Clearwater a 4-2 lead with a two-run double to the left center field gap. The Tortugas would not lead again.

Daytona battled back with a pair of runs in the fifth. CF Junior Arias hit a triple off the wall in center, SS Alex Blandino walked, and 1B Chad Wallach singled home Arias on a fly ball to left field. A wild pitch moved Blandino to third, and after a pair of strikeouts by Yacksel Rios (W, 2-2), C Joe Hudson came through with a game-tying single, a line drive between first and second, to make it 4-4.

Clearwater's decisive rally came just half an inning later. Numata walked, Walding reached on a bunt single, and after a sacrifice bunt, Stankiewicz blooped a go-ahead single over Blandino's head at shortstop, and Carlos Toxi plated another run with a squeeze play, bringing home Walding to extend Clearwater's lead to 6-4.

Miguel Nunez (H, 3) and Edubray Ramos (S, 6) retired the final nine Tortugas in order.

Game 2 (3-2 Clearwater) featured a pitcher's duel between RHP Barrett Astin (L, 4-3) and Colin Kleven, who struck out seven Tortugas (including six in a row) through his first three innings. The Threshers took a 1-0 lead on a run-scoring wild pitch in the first inning, and extended the advantage to 3-0 in the fourth.

Aaron Brown, Andrew Knapp and Willians Astudillo all hit singles to load the bases with one out. Astin then induced a double-play ball from Numata, but Blandino's throw to first skipped past 1B Chad Wallach, and two runs scored on the play. It would prove to be the difference in the game, and the first half championship.

Daytona's offense in Game 2 came in the sixth. Blandino homered to left off Kleven, and DH Robert Ramirez homered to right off Ulises Joaquin (S, 7). The Tortugas first back-to-back homers of 2015 had them within one run, and they entered the final frame trailing 3-2. Sparks beat out an infield single to start the seventh and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Joaquin then struck out Hudson and induced a division-clinching groundout off the bat of pinch hitter RF Jon Matthews.

The Tortugas will start the second half on Thursday against the Brevard County Manatees, and restart their quest for a berth in the 2015 Florida State League Playoffs. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET at Radiology Associates Field at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, and fans can listen to the action on The Great Voice of Volusia County, AM 1230 and AM 1490 WSBB starting with the D.B. Pickles Pregame Show at 6:50 p.m. ET.

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Images from this story

Daytona Tortugas on the Bench
Daytona Tortugas on the Bench
(Aldrin Capulong)		   



Florida State League Stories from June 24, 2015


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