FSL1 Charlotte Stone Crabs

'Crabs Score 10 for Split with 'Sharks

Published on July 23, 2014 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Charlotte Stone Crabs News Release


CLEARWATER, FL (July 23, 2014) - Justin O'Conner's defense has been a hot topic not just within the Rays organization, but in broader baseball circles. Having thrown out more than 50% of base stealers and owning a remarkable 11 successful pickoffs, the Stone Crabs catcher was at it again on Wednesday afternoon in the hot Clearwater sun. First, he back picked Angelo Mora at third base with the bases loaded and one out in the fourth after the Threshers had taken a 4-0 lead. Later, he launched his second home run of the series as part of a five inning outburst, and the Stone Crabs earned a split in the four-game series with a 10-6 win to close out the first half of their eight-game roadtrip.

Blake Snell worked through a pair of Threshers singles in the first and left two runners on base after striking out Art Charles and Brian Pointer to retire the side. In the second, singles by Harold Martinez and Gabriel Lino, and a walk to number nine hitter Everett Williams loaded the bases. Roman Quinn's sacrifice fly gave Clearwater a 1-0 lead right before Angelo Mora crushed a two-run triple to right center that made it 3-0.

With the bases loaded once again and one out in the fourth, Snell came out for Marcus Jensen, who promptly surrendered an RBI single to Charles. At 4-0, the Threshers seemed on the verge of completely seizing the early momentum. However, O'Conner's laser back to third nabbed Mora for the second out before Jensen fanned Pointer for the third out.

Jonathan Quionez' second home run of the season came off starter Colin Kleven in the fifth to slice the deficit in half at 4-2. Kleven was lifted for Cody Forsythe, who got the save in Monday night's game, after putting the tying runs on after hitting Leonardo Reginatto with a 2-2 pitch before a Patrick Leonard single. With one out, Tyler Goeddel's RBI single into right made it 4-3, but Pointer's throw to try and nab Leonard at third was wide of the bag, and the error allowed the `Crabs to tie it at four. Josh Sale then got a slight hold of a 3-0 pitch, blooping it down the left field line to score Goeddel and give them their first lead at 5-4.

Forsythe (1-1) remained in the game for the seventh and faced O'Conner with runners at first and second and two outs. The first pitch he grooved was clobbered deep to left, giving O'Conner his eighth home run (and second of the series) to open the lead up to 8-4. Lino answered off Jensen (4-4) with a two-run shot in the bottom of the inning, but the Threshers wouldn't get any closer after making it interesting at 8-6. A Quionez double with one out in the eighth gave him just his second three-hit game of the season, and first in more than two months. Granden Goetzman soon slashed a single into right for a 9-6 lead, giving the left fielder his second 2-for-4 game in as many days after snapping an 0-for-27 stretch at the plate. When Reginatto led off the ninth with a single into right, it ensured that all nine Stone Crabs finished with a hit en route to 15 in total. Reginatto, like Goeddel, extended his season-long hitting streak to 12 in a row and the Stone Crabs secured a 10-6 victory once Colton Reavis earned his second save in three appearances with two scoreless frames in the eighth and ninth.

The roadtrip continues on Thursday night when the Stone Crabs visit the first half North Division Champions, the Dunedin Blue Jays, 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 July 23, 2014


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