Late Slam Seals Threshers' First Loss of Series
August 12, 2023 - Florida State League (FSL)
Clearwater Threshers News Release
TAMPA, FL - Ryan Leitch had his third consecutive multi-hit game, but the Clearwater Threshers (71-35, 27-14) fell 9-3 against the Tampa Tarpons (51-56, 20-21) on Saturday night at Steinbrenner Field. The Threshers conclude their season series against the Tarpons on Sunday afternoon in Tampa.
Cole Moore was the Threshers first baserunner in the second inning, reaching on an error by Tampa's second baseman Jose Colmenares. William Bergolla immediately moved Moore to second on a single off Tarpons starter Sean Hermann, and he scored on an RBI single by Ryan Leitch that gave the Threshers an early 1-0 lead.
Josh Moylan drove in two runs in the third for Tampa to give the Tarpons a 2-1 lead. The Threshers responded in the fourth, beginning with a one-out single by Leitch. He moved to second on a wild pitch by Hermann and scored on a two-out hit by Chad Castillo to tie the game at two.
The Tarpons retook the lead on a solo home run in the fifth that made it 3-2. They added two more runs in the sixth on a walk and a balk with the bases loaded. Troy Schreffler came on as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and smacked a 2-0 pitch off Tarpons reliever Osiel Rodriguez for a solo home run that cut the deficit to 5-3.
A grand slam in the seventh by Tarpons second baseman Jose Colmenares extended their lead to 9-3. Only one hit was recorded after the slam, and the Threshers fell 9-3 for their first loss of the series.
Estibenzon Jiménez (3-6) allowed three runs on five hits in 4.2 innings, walking three and striking out three in the loss. Jaydenn Estanista allowed three runs on one hit in 0.2 frames with three walks and one strikeout. Josh Bortka allowed four runs in 1.2 innings with one hit, two walks, and three strikeouts. Nathan Karaffa pitched a scoreless ninth with one strikeout and one hit allowed.
Schreffler's homer was the first pinch-hit home run of the season for the Threshers...Rincon extended his on-base streak to 14 consecutive games...Leitch has two hits in each of the three games he has played this series...He and Castillo have each driven in runs in back-to-back games...Crawford is hitting 8-15 (.533) in four games this series...He and Bergolla are each hitting .400 in double-digit games against the Tarpons heading into the two teams' final matchup of the season...The Threshers conclude their final regular season series against the Tampa Tarpons on Sunday, August 13 at Steinbrenner Field... First pitch is at 12:00 pm... You can purchase tickets for Threshers games at ThreshersBaseball.com/tickets or by calling 727-467-4457.
Florida State League Stories from August 12, 2023
- Errors Aid Mussels on the Way to a Saturday Night Win - Bradenton Marauders
- Late Slam Seals Threshers' First Loss of Series - Clearwater Threshers
- Hip Hip, Jose! Colmenares' Grand Slam Puts Game on Ice - Tampa Tarpons
- Cardinals Pound Out 14 Hits, Beat Mets 10-7 - St. Lucie Mets
- Mussels' Bullpen Shines in 3-1 Win Over Marauders - Fort Myers Mighty Mussels
- Lakeland Erases Deficit Three Times, Beat Blue Jays 11-9 to Even Series - Dunedin Blue Jays
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