FSL1 Charlotte Stone Crabs

Stone Crabs Top Mets with 11-2 Victory

Published on April 30, 2014 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Charlotte Stone Crabs News Release


PORT ST. LUCIE, FL (April 29, 2014) - When you're 5'7", 170 pounds, you need every bit of muscle in your frame to hit one out. Yet there was Tommy Coyle, the second batter on Tuesday evening at Tradition Field, cracking a solo home run off Gabriel Ynoa to set an early tone. Later in the evening, Josh Sale provided some muscle of his own with a two-run shot in the fifth to chase the Mets righthander from the ballgame. In total, the Stone Crabs bounced back from a one-sided 7-3 defeat in the opener with a season high 17 hits in an 11-2 victory.

The Stone Crabs could have actually widened the margin sooner after Coyle's first home run when they loaded the bases with two outs. Ynoa picked up his second strikeout of the evening by getting Justin O'Conner to chase a breaking ball in the dirt for the final out. In the second, Andrew Toles smacked a two out single before Coyle walked on five pitches. Leonardo Reginatto followed his single in the first with another one to score the speedy Toles for a 2-0 lead.

Sale started his best offensive performance of the year by opening the fourth with his first triple to right center. Three pitches later, Marty Gantt scored him with an RBI groundout to short to add to Austin Pruitt's shutout. Ynoa (2-2) then picked up the first two outs in the fifth before Maxx Tissenbaum's single put a pair of runners on for O'Conner. Entering the at bat with two strikeouts, he roped a 2-2 pitch for a double to score both runners for a 5-0 lead. Sale then sent a high drive over the wall in right for his first home run and two more runs.

Pruitt followed up his first career victory last Thursday night with an even finer showing against the league's best offense. Although his shutout ended on the first pitch of the fifth with a long solo home run off the bat of first baseman Aderlin Rodriguez, he'd retire the final five hitters he faced to preserve the six run lead through six.

The top of the order needed just four pitches to regain a seven run lead in the sixth against reliever Seth Lugo. Toles singled and stole second base before Coyle brought him home with an RBI single to give the Stone Crabs an 8-1 lead. In the eighth, Patrick Leonard snapped an 0-for-4 start at the plate with a two run single. The 11th and final run came in thanks to Sale, who hit the third consecutive single to begin the top of the ninth off Ryan Fraser.

NOTES: The 11-2 win is the largest margin of victory so far this seasonall nine Stone Crabs finished with a hit en route to a season high 17Toles, Reginatto, Tissenbaum, and O'Conner all finished with two hits eachCoyle and Sale had their first three-hit games of the seasonthere have now been seven home runs hit between the teams in the first two games of the seriesPruitt (2-1) has now received 24 runs worth of run support in his last two starts (both wins)the Stone Crabs can win their third consecutive series with a win in the finale on Wednesday night.

The series continues in Port St. Lucie with the second game of the three game series on Tuesday night from Tradition Field at 6:30 PM. Austin Pruitt (1-1, 6.86 ERA) will go for his second straight win against the Mets Gabriel Ynoa (2-1, 5.40 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 April 30, 2014


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