FSL1 Charlotte Stone Crabs

'Crabs End Losing Streak at Five

Published on July 6, 2014 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Charlotte Stone Crabs News Release


FORT MYERS, FL - In the first game of this series, the Stone Crabs probably deserved a win, outhitting the Miracle 7-3 en route to a bizarre 6-1 loss. Yet it seemed like the roles were reversed on Saturday night before a crowd of 6,917 at Hammond Stadium. Charlotte capitalized on an error to score two runs in the third, and a Justin O'Conner solo shot helped Austin Pruitt win his first game since May 18 to improve his record to 4-4.

Lately, this team has run into its share of tough opposing starters. Despite testing the talented Jose Berrios on Friday, the Stone Crabs didn't do nearly enough and only came away with a single run. Therefore, Brett Lee's 6-1 record stood out on paper, but the offense saw early on the lefthander looked a bit rusty in his first start in a little over a month. Following three walks the first time through the order, the lefthander inflicted the most damage during his final inning in the third.

Leonardo Reginatto walked on four pitches before O'Conner moved him over to third with a two-out single. The only error of the ballgame turned out to be quite costly once third baseman Travis Harrison booted a Maxx Tissenbaum slow roller which would have ended the inning. Instead, Reginatto scored to make it 1-0 before Marty Gantt knocked an RBI single for a 2-0 lead.

Armed with his best stuff of the season, Austin Pruitt looked like a man possessed in the unfriendly confines of Hammond Stadium. Although the former Houston Cougar surrendered a base hit in each of his first three innings, he also racked up five strikeouts while keeping the Miracle scoreless. Following a perfect fourth inning that featured two more strikeouts, he encountered a problem in the fifth after singles by Harrison and Niko Goodrum put the tying runs on base with just one out. On an 0-2 pitch, perennial `Crabs killer Jorge Polanco sent a hard chopper back to the mound which Pruitt calmly grabbed to start an inning-ending 1-6-3 double play.

O'Conner's sixth home run was a screaming liner off Madison Boer with two outs and the bases empty in the seventh. Pruitt (4-4) then returned for the bottom of the inning with a 3-0 cushion, but Dalton Hicks tested it early on with a leadoff double. A five pitch walk to Stuart Turner with one out was the end of the line, and Kevin Brandt's first at bat coming in from the pen resulted in a run scoring single by Goodrum. Another single by Polanco made it 3-2, but Brandt got the next two hitters to send it to the eighth.

Brandt retired both Mike Gonzales and Adam Brett Walker to start the inning, but singles from Hicks and Harrison forced Jared Sandberg to go with another righty in the form of Zach Cooper. The losing pitcher in two of the Stone Crabs' five losses during the streak, he'd only face Turner, who flied out to center to end the threat. In the ninth, Marcus Jensen came in for his fifth save, which started horribly when Goodrum led off with a single into center. He then fanned Polanco looking with a devastating fastball across the inside corner for the first out. The tension then bubbled over when Jensen's 1-0 pitch to Max Kepler missed outside, but O'Conner's throw back to first nabbed Goodrum for the second out. Miracle manager Doug Mientkiewicz vehemently argued the call with field umpire Alex McKay, who then ejected him, prompting a loud applause. Jensen and Kepler then battled to a full count, and the pitcher won with a swinging strikeout to give the Stone Crabs just their third win against the Miracle.

The teams meet for the deciding game of the series on Sunday afternoon at 4:05 PM when Reinaldo Lopez (4-3, 3.44 ERA) counters D.J. Baxendale (1-1, 6.57 ERA). 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 3:45 PM on the Stone Crabs Radio Network!

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Florida State League Stories from July 6, 2014


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