FSL1 Charlotte Stone Crabs

Stone Crabs Close Weekend with 14 Inning Win

Published on April 13, 2014 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Charlotte Stone Crabs News Release


PORT CHARLOTTE, FL (April 13, 2014) - Breathe. Sigh. Relax. After four hours and seven minutes, the Stone Crabs finally pulled away from the Cardinals in the rubber game of their series in front of 1,326 at Charlotte Sports Park. Maxx Tissenbaum's game-winning single down the left field line scored Kes Carter for an 8-7 win, and allowed the Stone Crabs to enjoy the rest of their Sunday after gutting through two weekend victories. And all it took was 14 innings!

The afternoon game started shortly after 1:30 very similar to the way Friday night's began. Andrew Toles opened the home first with a single before stealing second base. Casey Rasmus' throw from behind the plate got into center field, allowing the Stone Crabs leadoff hitter to move to third. With one out, Tommy Coyle drove in his second run of the series with an RBI single past the drawn in infield to make it 1-0.

But the bats weren't done after a walk to Patrick Leonard and a passed ball by Rasmus moved runners to second and third. Josh Sale then directed a two run single off Cardinals starter Cory Jones for a 3-0 lead. Marty Gantt then ripped a double to put two more runners in scoring position for Carter, who widened the margin to five with a two run double.

Palm Beach added a run in the second against Austin Pruitt following a leadoff double by Nick Martini and a single by left fielder Starlin Rodriguez. Rasmus then grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to bring in Martini and make it 5-1. Charlotte's five run lead was regained in the second after a leadoff walk Toles, who stole second once again, only to move to third on a wild pitch. Tyler Goeddel brought him home with an RBI single to extend the lead to 6-1, but the Cardinals proved once again why no lead is safe.

Pruitt opened the fourth by walking the dangerous Anthony Garcia, who had homered in his previous three games. Martini's groundout to second came before consecutive singles by Rodriguez and Rasmus scored Garcia to pull Palm Beach closer at 6-2. After Ildemaro Vargas flew out to center, Alex Mejia's slow grounder to third was taken by Goeddel, who bounced the throw to first to continue the inning. Charlie Tilson then made the Stone Crabs pay with a game-tying three run homer into the Charlotte bullpen. The drama was just beginning.

After neither team could score from the fourth inning on, the Cardinals came to bat in the 11th against lefthander Jose Molina. Following a walk to Garcia on four pitches, Martini dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move him to second. Rodriguez then broke the 6-6 tie with an RBI single. Down to their final three outs, the Stone Crabs got a leadoff walk by Goeddel to open the 11th inning. Robert Stock started to get wild, and Goeddel quickly advanced to third on a passed ball and a wild pitch. Following a Coyle groundout, Stock's second wild pitch allowed Goeddel to score the tying run.

The day dragged on into the 14th inning after Ryan Garton (1-0) came in to work a scoreless frame with Mejia at second after a two out single and wild pitch. For the bottom of the inning, Cardinals manager Dann Bilardello was tired of wasting his bullpen arms, and shuffled around his defense so that Ildemaro Vargas (0-1) could pitch for the first time in his career. Following a leadoff walk to Sale and a sacrifice bunt by Gantt, Carter squibbed a grounder off the end of his bat that found the third baseman Wilson, who threw back to second. Sale got caught up and tagged in between the bags for the second out, but Carter smartly followed the play to second. Tissenbaum then sent everyone home with a sharp single down the left field line for the game-winner.

The Stone Crabs continue their homestand on Monday night at 6:30 when they welcome the Fort Myers Miracle to Charlotte Sports Park for a three game series. It's Belly Buster Monday and all fans in attendance can enjoy an all-you-can-eat menu with the purchase of a wristband for just $10! There are still great seats available, so visit www.stonecrabsbaseball.com or call 941-206-HITS (4487) to order your tickets now!

Check out the Charlotte Stone Crabs Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Florida State League Stories from April 13, 2014


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central