Déjá Vu - Tarpons’ last second rally falls short again, lose 7-6

TAMPA, Fla. - Different night, same result. The Tampa Tarpons (9-16) rallied in the late innings to pull within one but were unable to break through with a big hit against the Bradenton Marauders (16-9) at GMS Field on Friday night. The Tarpons pulled within one after 2B Dayro Perez launched his first home run of the season in the eighth. They brought the winning run to the plate in the ninth but could not capitalize, finishing the game with the same score as yesterday, 7-6.

RHP Sean Hermann (4.2IP, 8H, 7R, 2BB, 3K, 2HR) struggled in his fifth start of the season. He unraveled in the top of the fifth inning, serving up a bunch of hard contact hits that resulted in five runs in the frame. Hermann primarily relied on his sinker and slider Friday night. The two pitches combined for 77% of his total usage.

The Marauders drew first blood in the second inning when Alexander Mojica lifted a two-out, solo shot over the left field wall. Bradenton’s bench was fired up as Mojica rounded the bases.

1B Omar Martinez provided an counter punch the next frame by launching a game-tying 425-foot home run to right-center. As the ball left the bat, Martinez took one step out of the box and admired it as it soared into the cabanas. Later that inning, Enmaneul Terrero nearly had a web gem in right field. He brought what would have been a home run from CF Daury Arias back into the park, but it dropped to the dirt as he landed. RF Felix Negueis sprinted around the bases to score, but Arias was hosed trying to stretch the play into a triple.

Bradenton answered right back in the third. Delvis Nadal opened the third with a double to right field. He moved to third base on a productive groundout from Terrero. Jared Triolo hustled out a high chopper to even the score.

The back-and-forth battle continued in the home half of the third. C Agustin Ramirez laced a 100 MPH double into the right-center gap. After moving to third on a groundout, Perez grounded a base hit past a diving Javier Rivas to reclaim the Tarpon lead.

What did you think happened next? The Marauders answered right back. Tererro legged out his second infield hit of the night, and Triolo grounded a double past the diving 3B Ronny Rojas to knot the game at three. Bradenton took the lead when Nolasco punched a double to right center. The next batter, Shalin Polanco, continued to torch the Tarpons as he blasted a three-run shot to grow the Bradenton lead to four.

Serna remained red-hot and launched the Tarpons second home run of the night, a solo shot to left field, to pull them within three in the fifth. All Nolasco could do was watch as the ball soared over the fence.

Polanco led off the eighth, picking up a double for his second extra-base hit of the night. After a dazzling play by Serna, Mojica dumped a single into shallow right, putting runners at the corners. RHP Yorlin Calderon got Rivas to bounce into a 6-4-3 double play to get out of the jam.

After LF Anthony Hall got plunked to open the eighth, Perez brought the Tarpons within one, sending his first home run of the season over the right field wall. The ball left the bat at 102 MPH and traveled 373 feet. There was a show of fist bumps in the Tampa dugout as the team held out hope for a bigger rally.

The Tarpons tried to ignite a rally in the ninth when CF Alan Mejia drew a free pass. Unfortunately for the home team, Mejia got caught leaning, and all Tampa could muster after that was another walk. Another heartbreaking loss for the Tarpons.

Tampa will look to rebound from the nail-biting loss tomorrow against Bradenton. RHP Justin Lange gets the call with first pitch at 6:30 p.m.