Pitcher's duel ends in extra-inning loss to the Tortugas, 6-1
July 2, 2023 - Florida State League (FSL)
Tampa Tarpons News Release
Tampa Tarpons pitcher Justin Lange
(Tampa Tarpons)
TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa Tarpons (3-5) and the Daytona Tortugas (7-1) had a pitcher's duel Sunday afternoon at Geroge M. Steinbrenner Field. After each team's starter dominated, the bullpens followed suit. Daytona's bullpen pitched 5.1 scoreless innings, while Tampa's bullpen tossed four shutout innings of their own before imploding in the tenth. In the tenth, the Tortugas' offense exploded for six runs, while the Tarpons could only score one in their half of the tenth.
The Tarpons continued to struggle with runners in scoring position. They were 0-8 in such opportunities while leaving twelve men on base. Tampa's best chances came in the second and fifth innings, when they loaded the bases. The Tarpons were unable to capitalize on those opportunities, ending the innings with a groundout and a strikeout.
Despite the frustrating loss, RHP Justin Lange (5.0IP, H, 6BB, 4K) showed out on Sunday. He only surrendered one hit during his five innings of work. He sporadically struggled with his command but locked in when needed. Lange used the two-pitch mix of his sinker and cutter. The cutter generated a whiff percentage of 56%.
The combination of RHP Yorlin Calderon and RHP Ocean Gabonia cannot go unnoticed. With Tampa's offense struggling, the two relievers combined to pitch four scoreless innings while only giving up two hits to push the game into extra innings. Each reliever held Daytona's bats to an average exit velocity under 87 MPH.
With the game still scoreless, Daytona's offense came alive in the tenth. With Carlos Jorge up and Hector Rodriguez as the extra-inning ghost runner, the Tarpons got called for their second catcher's interference violation of the game. After the interference, Yassel Pino finally brought in the first run of the game, lining an RBI double to left center. Cam Collier laced another double to the left field wall to extend the lead to three. Collier advanced on a wild pitch, and after walks to Donovan Antonia and Yerlin Confidan, Logan Tanner brought in another pair with a base hit to left field. Daytona would add one more on an RBI single off the bat of Victor Acosta. The Tarpons avoided the shutout, adding one run in the tenth when DH Ronny Rojas scored on a fielding error.
The Tarpons will close out the series against the Tortugas with a rare Monday night game. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. with RHP Baron Stuart on the hill, with the Tarpons' biggest fireworks show of the year following the game.
Images from this story
 Tampa Tarpons pitcher Justin Lange |
Florida State League Stories from July 2, 2023
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