Jones Sets Career Mark as Threshers Take Down Hammerheads
May 25, 2019 - Florida State League (FSL1)
Clearwater Threshers News Release
JUPITER, Fla. - Damon Jones continued his domination of Florida State League batters, as the southpaw set a new career-high by setting down 10 men on strikes in the Clearwater Thershers' 4-2 victory over the Jupiter Hammerheads at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Saturday night. The win gives Clearwater the series victor with a chance to sweep in the finale on Sunday afternoon.
Jones (2-3) tallied his first two punch outs against Jupiter (13-33) in the opening frame to work out of a two-on, two-out situation. The Washington State product picked up another strikeout in the third, and added two more to his total in the third.
The left-hander gave up a lead-off double to Nick Fortes and walked Isael Soto to start the fourth, before getting the first out on a sacrifice bunt from Connor Grant. The Idaho Falls native set down Cameron Baranek for the second out, but a passed ball during Gunnar Schubert's at-bat allowed Fortes to score an unearned run.
Jones retired Schuber on strikes for his seventh strikeout to get out of the inning with just the lone run allowed, and got James Nelson to swing and miss in the fifth. The 24-year-old issued a free pass to Fortes to start the sixth, but bounced back to catch Soto looking. The 6-foot-5 hurler got Grant to chase for the 10th strikeout of the day, and left after Baranek kept the inning alive with a single.
Clearwater (25-24) used a two-out rally in the sixth to push across three runs against the combination of Jordan Holloway and Vincenzo Aiello (2-2).
Nick Maton and Madison Stokes flew out against Holloway to start the inning, but Matt Kroon forced the starter out of a game with a single to right. Ortiz welcomed Aiello to the game by blasting a 1-0 pitch out to left for his sixth home run of the year for the 2-1 advantage.
Rodolfo Duran whacked a single to center, leading to Danny Mayer's run-scoring double down the left field corner to add an insurance run.
Mayer struck again in the ninth with a bomb out to left to extend the lead to 4-1.
Austin Ross (SV, 2) allowed a run to score in the bottom half of the final frame on an RBI double by Nelson, but did not allow any more runs to cross to lock down his second save in as many chances.
Clearwater goes for the series sweep on Sunday afternoon in the finale of the four-game set from Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. RHP Colton Eastman (1-2, 3.05) toes the slab for the visitors against RHP Taylor Braley (0-2, 2.97) for the home squad. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m., with coverage starting at 12:45 p.m. with Threshers Live! The Pre-game Show on threshersbaseball.com.
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