Dos for Dermis: Garcia has 4th-Career Multi-HR Game in 11-6 Loss

TAMPA, Fla. - Dermis Garcia crushed a pair of home runs for his fourth-career multi-homer game, but the Tarpons saw a 5-1 lead turn into an 11-6 loss as the Marauders rallied for six runs in the ninth to steal the win on Tuesday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Bradenton (9-4) opened the scoring with an unearned run in the first, when Daniel Amaral reached on a fielding error by shortstop Oswaldo Cabrera and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Calvin Mitchell.
Garcia led off the second inning and jumped on the first pitch he saw from LHP Oddy Nunez, blasting it over the left field wall to tie the game at 1-1.
Tampa (4-9) loaded the bases with one out in the third when a pair of walks by Matt Pita and Pablo Olivares were followed up by an infield single by Diego Castillo . Cabrera followed with a sacrifice fly before Garcia cleared the bases with a three-run homer to left-center, giving the Tarpons a 5-1 lead.
After yielding a run in the first, RHP Clarke Schmidt worked around a leadoff double in the second and stranded a single and a hit-batter in the third before needing only seven pitches to retire the side in order in the fourth.
Amaral led off the fifth with a base hit to right and, one out later, Mitchell legged out a bunt single. Both scored when Dylan Busby clubbed a home run to left, cutting the lead to 5-4. LHP Dalton Lehnen relieved Schmidt and retired the next two batters to end the inning.
Schmidt allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits, one walk and one hit-batter in four and a third innings, tallying six strikeouts, throwing 51 of 85 pitches for strikes.
Nunez held the Tarpons scoreless in the fourth and fifth before exiting with two outs in the sixth. The left-hander allowed five runs on four hits in five and two-third innings, issuing a career-high six walks while striking out two, throwing 46 of 91 pitches for strikes.
Bradenton tied the score in the sixth when Raul Hernandez doubled and scored on a two-out single by Amaral. Tampa loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh and took back the lead with an RBI groundout by Cabrera, but RHP Hunter Stratton (W, 3-0) got Garcia to lineout to center to strand a pair.
Lehnen (L, 0-1) struck out the side in the seventh and added one more punchout in a perfect eighth before Amaral led off the ninth with a single. Chris Sharpe then crushed a go-ahead, two-run homer to left-center, putting the Marauders ahead, 7-6.

Mitchell followed with a base hit before RHP Greg Weissert relieved Lehnen. Weissert hit Busby with a pitch before getting a flyout by Lucas Tancas, but the next six batters reached base, including three-straight singles, a hit-batter and a pair of walks. Mitchell struck out to end the inning, which featured 12-batters, six runs, six hits, two walks and two hit-batters.
RHP Ryan Valdes retired the Tarpons in order in the bottom of the ninth to end the game.
Garcia (2-for-4, 2HR, 4RBI, 2R) leads Tampa with three home runs after logging his fourth-career multi-homer game, with his last being with Single-A Charleston on September 3, 2018 vs. West Virginia.
Olivares (1-for-2, 3BB, R) reached base four times. Cabrera (0-for-3, Sac-Fly, 2RBI) logged his first multi-RBI game of the season. Pita (1-for-3, BB, R) and Welfrin Mateo (1-for-3, BB, R, CS) reached base twice apiece.
The Tarpons will look to salvage a win in the series-finale on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. RHP Deivi Garcia (0-1, 4.91) is slated to start against RHP Max Kranick (0-1, 7.71 ERA). Live play-by-play audio will be available on the Tampa Tarpons Baseball Network.
On "WOWW Wednesday," fans can enjoy half-priced Wings, Wine and White Claws from 5:30-7:30 p.m.