FSL1 Charlotte Stone Crabs

'Crabs Drop Both Games of Doubleheader to Tortugas

Published on April 17, 2015 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Charlotte Stone Crabs News Release


DAYTONA, FL - With so much superstition in baseball, one had to wonder if Wednesday night's rainout at Radiology Associates Field would disrupt the Stone Crabs three-game winning streak. The answer was yes. A pair of seven inning games resulted in a couple of wins for the Tortugas, who held the `Crabs to just one run over the course of roughly four and a half hours and kept them from their first win away from Charlotte Sports Park.

Alex Colome's second rehab start in game one was immediately soured by a leadoff home run from Phillip Ervin in the bottom of the first. Charlotte would soon inadvertently end Tortugas starter Sal Romano's day when a Mike Marjama line drive hit off the back of the pitcher's left leg in the second inning. Marty Gantt quickly doubled down the left field line off new reliever El'Hajj Muhammad for his first hit of the year. A wild pitch and a walk to number nine hitter Braxton Lee brought up Andrew Velazquez, who lined out sharply to third for the final out.

The third inning presented an even better chance when a couple of walks and a Willy Adames single loaded the bases for the heart of the order with no outs. Next up was Daytona lefthander Joel Bender, who fanned Alexander Simon before getting Armando Araiza to bounce into an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play. By stranding two runners in each of the first three innings, the `Crabs wasted their best opportunities and would only gather one more hit in the final four innings on a Marjama leadoff single in the fourth.

Daytona's 4-0 win in the first game was highlighted by two more solo shots from Chad Wallach and Taylor Sparks. The power carried over into the back end of the doubleheader with Ryne Stanek protecting a 1-0 lead in the fifth. The Stone Crabs only run of the day came in the fourth against Stanek's former University of Arkansas teammate Barrett Astin, who was making his first start.

Jake Bauers led off with a single, and Maxx Tissenbaum sacrificed him to second for the first out. Yoel Araujo went down looking, but Gantt delivered again with an RBI double snuck into left center beyond the diving left fielder Sebastian Elizalde for a 1-0 lead. Stanek's first pitch was hammered high in the air off the right field foul pole by Robert Ramirez to tie the game at one. A Joe Hudson single and a sacrifice bunt from Carlton Daal got the go-ahead run to second for the top of the order. Ervin grounded out to Stanek, but Alex Blandino's grounder to third was misplayed by Velazquez, who then pulled Bauers off the bag with his throw to first. Hudson never stopped running from second, and came all the way in to score the eventual winning run.

Charlotte nearly sent the game into extras in the top of the seventh, working a pair of walks and getting an infield single off Tortugas closer Evan Mitchell. Willy Adames then got the count to 2-2 with two outs, but flied out to center to end a long day of baseball, and evening the Stone Crabs record at 4-4.

The Stone Crabs head to Palm Beach for the start of a three-game series with the Cardinals on Friday, April 17 at 6:30 PM. You can follow all the action by listening to the game on www.stonecrabsbaseball.com via TuneIn Radio, or tuning into 91.7 FM-WVIJ in the Port Charlotte area. The Stone Crabs Pregame Show starts at 6:10 PM on the Stone Crabs Radio Network!

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Florida State League Stories from April 17, 2015


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