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FSL1 Charlotte Stone Crabs

Tough Seventh Derails Stone Crabs

May 18, 2016 - Florida State League (FSL1)
Charlotte Stone Crabs News Release


PORT CHARLOTTE, FL - The Stone Crabs had the lead. Chris Pike was dominating. It looked like tonight would be the night Charlotte got back on track and ran straight into the race for first place in the FSL South.

Then, Pike (1-4) allowed five straight hits to start the seventh, and everything unraveled in an instant.

When the dust settled, Daytona held a 3-2 edge, and Tortugas starter Tejay Antone combined with reliever Nick Howard to end the ballgame and send the Stone Crabs to their fourth straight loss, a 4-3 heartbreaker in front of 1,722 fans at Charlotte Sports Park on Wednesday night.

Things started promising enough. Locked in a scoreless tie with one out in the fifth, Alec Sole stepped in against Antone (3-3) and launched a solo home run over the right field fence to give Charlotte a 1-0 lead. Grant Kay and Thomas Milone followed with back to back singles to put runners on the corners, and a Riley Unroe safety squeeze brought in Kay to make it 2-0.

Pike had been cruising, throwing just 49 pitches through five after Rays closer Brad Boxberger started and threw a scoreless first in a rehab outing. But the Tortugas caught up with Pike in the seventh. Ty Washington, Avain Rachal, and Chadwick Tromp all singled to lead off the inning. Jonathan Reynoso zinged a double down the line in left, scoring Washington and Rachal to tie the game. Tromp tried to come in, but fell over rounding third base, and was tagged out by Nick Ciuffo as Reynoso took third. It didn't matter, as Ronald Bueno immediately delivered a base hit to break the tie and make it 3-2 Tortugas.

Daytona added what proved to be a huge insurance run in the eighth. Taylor Sparks led off the inning with a base hit against reliever Jordan Harrison, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Harrison coaxed flyouts from Washington and Rachal, but Tromp dumped a single into left to bring home Sparks and increase the Tortuga lead to 4-2.

That run ended up mattering greatly. With two out and nobody on in the bottom half of the eighth, FSL All-Star candidate Cade Gotta launched a home run into the Daytona bullpen on the first pitch he saw to cut the lead to 4-3. Mac James singled to lead off the ninth against Howard, but the Tortugas reliever got the next three guys to safely end the ballgame.

The loss marks the fourth in a row for the Stone Crabs, who are 2-7 on this current homestand. Charlotte is under .500 for the first time in the month of May at 20-21.

The Stone Crabs close the homestand tomorrow night, as RHP Yonny Chirinos (3-0, 1.46) tries to stop the bleeding against Tortugas LHP Ismael Guillon (1-2, 3.48). First pitch is scheduled for 6:35. It's Thirsty Thursday at Charlotte Sports Park, featuring $2 domestic drafts and $3 domestic bottles of ice cold beer. Tickets are available in person at the FCB Box Office, on the phone at 941-206-HITS, or online at stonecrabsbaseball.com.

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Florida State League Stories from May 18, 2016


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