FSL1 Charlotte Stone Crabs

Stone Crabs Edge Threshers in 12

Published on May 20, 2014 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Charlotte Stone Crabs News Release


PORT CHARLOTTE, FL (May 19, 2014) - This was supposed to be Jake DePew's breakthrough moment in 2014. With runners at first and second in a tie game in the eighth, the Stone Crabs designated hitter lined a single into center. Threshers center fielder Pete Lavin had other ideas, and his perfect throw to the plate beat Patrick Leonard, who was tagged out on a feet first slide. In a twist of fate, DePew had another opportunity with the game still tied at six in the 12th inning. Following a furious two out rally against Jeb Stefan, the bases were loaded and the count was full. Stefan's fastball just missed the outside corner, and DePew was hounded by his teammates after a 7-6 extra-inning victory gave them their third straight win and the series.

It was one of those games where the mood changed drastically as the evening progressed. The Stone Crabs scored five times in the first four innings against Threshers starter Jon Prosinski. In the first, Leonardo Reginatto's RBI single made it 1-0 just three batters in. Leonard's double play with runners at the corners soon scored Tommy Coyle for a 2-0 lead. A two out triple to center by Josh Sale in the second allowed Jonathan Quionez to stay hot with an RBI single to make it 3-0. In the third, it was Justin O'Conner coming through with a two run single to score a pair for a 5-0 advantage. Finally, Sale punished another one in the fourth for his second home run, a deep solo shot over the wall in right.

Reinaldo Lopez avoided trouble with a beautiful inning-ending 3-6-3 double play turned by Leonard and Reginatto in the second. In the fourth, the Threshers finally struck and used four singles and a throwing error by Reginatto to bring in two runs and keep the bases loaded for left fielder William Carmona. Ahead in the count 3-1, the switch hitter sent another grounder to short, where Reginatto redeemed himself by starting another inning-ending double play up the middle with Coyle.

Lavin's RBI groundout in the fifth cut the deficit in half to 6-3 in Lopez' final inning. A Brian Pointer home run over Kes Carter's leap at the wall in right made it 6-4, and thrust Marcus Jensen into the spotlight again less than a week after taking a hard loss in Daytona. The normally reliable reliever surrendered a leadoff infield single to Art Charles in the eighth before walking designated hitter Andrew Knapp to put the tying runs on base. Gabriel Lino's sacrifice bunt attempt wasn't needed once Jensen fired a wild pitch past O'Conner to move the runners into scoring position. The Threshers catcher didn't do much with a 2-2 pitch, but a bloop single over third did the trick to tie the game at six.

The score did not budge until the bottom of the 12th once Stefan fanned Coyle and Reginatto for the first two outs, giving him four consecutive strikeouts after Sale's one out single in the 11th. A lengthy battle with Leonard resulted in a walk on a 3-2 pitch. O'Conner's single into right center with Leonard on the move put runners at the corners for Carter. Hitless in his first five at bats with three strikeouts, he came through with one of his most crucial at bats of the year and fouled off several pitches before working another walk to load the bases. The stage was then set for DePew, who fell behind 1-2 before battling back and taking the 3-2 fastball just off the outside corner for the game-winning RBI and a hero's exit.

NOTES: The Stone Crabs are 4-0 in extra innings (two in 14 and two in 12), with three of the wins coming at Charlotte Sports Parkthe game lasted 3 hours and 40 minutesit was DePew's second RBI of the season and his first since a sacrifice fly in a 7-3 loss in St. Lucie on April 28Ryan Garton (3-0) pitched a perfect 12th inning and is now tied with Austin Pruitt and Jose Molina for the team lead with three winsall three of Garton's victories have come in extra inningsthe home run by Pointer in the sixth was the only baserunner allowed by Eli Echarry in two innings of reliefReginatto, O'Conner, and Sale all finished with three hitsLeonard finished 0-for-4 the day he was named the Florida State League Player of the Week, the first weekly honor won by a Stone Crab this seasonQuionez extended his season-long hitting streak to six games and now has six RBIs during the streak.

The Stone Crabs head to Lakeland for the first time to open a four-game series with the Flying Tigers on Tuesday night at 6:30 PM. Bruedlin Suero (2-2, 5.01 ERA) will try and get the Stone Crabs two games over .500 for the first time against Lakeland's Yorfrank Lopez (1-2, 6.45 ERA). You can follow all the action by listening to the game on www.stonecrabsbaseball.com via TuneIn Radio, or tuning into 91.7 FM-WVIJ in the Port Charlotte area. The Stone Crabs Pregame Show starts at 6:10 PM on the Stone Crabs Radio Network!

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Florida State League Stories from May 20, 2014


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