Green, Pullin Power Threshers Past Jupiter
June 3, 2016 - Florida State League (FSL1)
Clearwater Threshers News Release
CLEARWATER, Fla. - The middle of the Threshers order combined for seven hits and five runs scored on Friday night, as Clearwater raced past the Jupiter Hammerheads by an 8-2 final in the series opener on Friday night.
Andrew Pullin knocked a double and a triple, and Zach Green finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs to extend his hit streak to a season-high nine games. Mitch Walding also reached three times out of the six-spot, going 2-for-3 with a walk, and Scott Kingery finished 3-for-5 from the top of the order.
Osmel Aguila, who was signed by the Phillies out of Cuba and added to the Threshers roster on Friday, turned in a 1-for-5 night in his professional debut, playing center field for Clearwater.
The Threshers (31-22) snapped a three-game skid and pounded out 14 hits, finishing one short of a season-high in the hit column. Clearwater remains 3.5 back of the Tampa Yankees in the FSL North, with 16 games left to play in the first half.
Jupiter (27-28) jumped on the board first on Friday, when Dexter Kjerstad led off the ballgame with his fifth home run of the season.
With two outs in the inning, Ronnie Mitchell added an RBI single to give the Hammerheads the early 2-0 edge.
Elniery Garcia (5-2) settled in from there. The Threshers lefty did not permit a run the rest of the way, giving the Threshers 5.2 innings in the win. Garcia allowed six hits without issuing a walk, and threw a season-high 115 pitches, 81 for strikes.
The Threshers offense came to life in the second inning.
Green and Walding connected for back-to-back singles against Michael Mader (3-2), and with two outs Malquin Canelo came through with a liner to left to plate Green and cut the deficit in half.
Derek Campbell was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and on a 1-2 pitch Kingery served a single into left field to score Walding and Canelo and give the Threshers the lead.
Clearwater piled on insurance with multi-run innings in the third and the fourth.
Pullin ripped a triple to right-center to lead off the third, and Green drove him home with a double to left-center. Walding worked a walk, and with two down Canelo delivered his second run-scoring single of the night to put Clearwater ahead 5-2.
Kingery ignited the offense again in the fourth, starting with a base knock to center off reliever Tyler Buckelew. Aguila reached on an infield hit toward short, and after Carlos Tocci bunted both runners into scoring position, Pullin yanked a double up the first base line to score both runners. Green added a single to right-center to plate Pullin and boost Clearwater ahead, 8-2.
Joe DeNato worked the final 3.1 innings in relief of Garcia, earning his first save. The lefty entered with Brad Haynal at first and two outs in the sixth and promptly picked him off, and went on to retire the next six men in order before a leadoff infield hit by John Norwood in the ninth.
Clearwater and Jupiter will battle in game two of the four-game set on Veterans and Military Appreciation Night on Saturday, with first pitch at 6:15 p.m. Tyler Viza (5-2) has the ball for the Threshers against Jorgan Cavanerio (4-4). The game will be broadcast live on the Threshers Broadcast Network starting at 6 p.m. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.
Florida State League Stories from June 3, 2016
- Tampa Beats Charlotte, 2-1, for 7th Straight - Tampa Yankees
- Green, Pullin Power Threshers Past Jupiter - Clearwater Threshers
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- Friday's Game Postponed Due to Weather - Daytona Tortugas
- Friday Night Washed Out, Twin Bill on Saturday - Fort Myers Mighty Mussels
- Three Tampa Yankees Selected for 2016 FSL All-Star Team - Tampa Yankees
- Mets Place 4 on FSL South All Star Team - St. Lucie Mets
- Six Flying Tigers Selected to Florida State League All-Star Team - Lakeland Flying Tigers
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