FSL1 Charlotte Stone Crabs

Crabs Run out of Comebacks

Published on June 15, 2016 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Charlotte Stone Crabs News Release


PORT CHARLOTTE, FL - The Charlotte Stone Crabs only had so many comebacks in them.

The Crabs cut a 3-0 first inning lead to 3-2, then roared back from a 5-2 deficit to tie the game, only to fall 8-5 to the Dunedin Blue Jays on Tuesday night at Charlotte Sports Park.

The climactic inning was the sixth, when Greg Harris remained in at 93 pitches and gave up back-to-back hits to start the inning. Jonny Venters relieved Harris and coaxed a double play from Richard Urena, but Gunnar Heidt scored from third to make it 6-5 Blue Jays. Venters then allowed a single to L.B. Dantzler and a two-run home run to Ryan McBroom, his second in as many nights, to put the game out of reach.

The Blue Jays offense got to work immediately against Harris (4-5). Jonathan Davis walked to lead off the game, and Urena singled to put two on with nobody out. Dantzler singled after that, scoring the game's first run without an out. An RBI groundout two batters later made it 2-0, and a wild pitch scored Dantzler to make it 3-0 Dunedin.

Charlotte, for the first and not the last time on the night, struck back. Just as Davis did for the Blue Jays, Riley Unroe walked to lead off the frame for the Stone Crabs. Andrew Velazquez singled, and two consecutive groundouts advanced the runners enough to score Unroe and cut the lead to 3-1. Alec Sole followed up with a double to bring in Velazquez and make it 3-2.

Dunedin had more offense in the third. Harris gave up back-to-back singles to McBroom and Emilio Guerrero to lead off the inning to put runners on the corners with no one out. Guerrero then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Three batters later, Dickie Joe Thon rifled a two-run single to plate both runners and make it 5-2 Blue Jays.

Again, the Stone Crabs staged a dramatic rally. Sole led off the fourth with a soft grounder to second, which Thon flipped towards the right field guardrail to put Alec on second with no outs. A Jace Conrad groundout pushed Sole to third, and Grant Kay drove him in with a double. Thomas Milone cut the lead to 5-4 with a triple to the wall in right-center that scored Kay, and Unroe tied the game two batters later with a rocket base hit to right.

However, the Stone Crabs offense ran out of gas from there. Velazquez led off the following inning with a base hit, was promptly doubled off 6-4-3 on a Mac James groundout, and Charlotte didn't put another runner on base the rest of the game. Blue Jays pitching retired 14 in a row to close it out.

The series concludes with a special 10:05 am game on Wednesday morning. RHP Chris Pike (2-6, 3.68) takes the mound for the Stone Crabs against Blue Jays RHP Francisco Rios (3-2, 2.45).

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Florida State League Stories from June 15, 2016


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