Late Home Runs Are Key in Threshers Comeback Win

WP: Jean Cabrera (1-0, 5.68)

LP: Shane Gray (0-1, 11.57)

SV: Orion Kerkering (2)

BOX SCORE:

TAMPA, FL – Bryan Rincon sent the first pitch of the seventh inning over the rightfield wall and Ricardo Rosario broke the tie with his second RBI of the game as the Clearwater Threshers (8-5) earned their second-straight win over the Tampa Tarpons (5-8) by a 4-2 margin at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Thursday evening. The Threshers look to clinch their second series victory on Saturday in Tampa against the Tarpons.

Frreylin Minyety started a two-out rally in the second with a single. He stole second base during Rosario’s at-bat. In his second at-bat as a Thresher, Rosario drove Minyety home with an RBI single off of Tarpons starter Brock Selvidge that gave the Threshers a 1-0 lead.

Tampa scored their first run of the game on an error by Cole Moore at first, allowing the tying run to score from second to make it 1-1 through the first three frames. The Tarpons took the lead on an RBI single by Brenny Escanio in the fifth that gave them a 2-1 advantage.

Rincon led off the seventh with a towering home run to right off of Tarpons reliever Shane Gray that tied the game at two. Cole Moore walked in the next at-bat, and advanced to third on a double by Minyety. Rosario drove him home on a line drive to center that allowed Moore to score on a sacrifice fly giving the Threshers the lead back at 3-2.

Jordan Viars extended the Threshers lead in the eighth with a two-out solo home run off Tarpons reliever Matt Keating to give Clearwater a two-run cushion. Clearwater’s bullpen retired the final nine batters of the game to secure a 4-2 victory.

Alex Rao threw 3.0 innings, allowing one unearned run on three hits with one walk and one strikeout in a no-decision. Jean Cabrera (1-0) earned the win in 3.0 innings of work, allowing one unearned run on four hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Wen-Hui Pan tossed 2.0 shutout frames with four strikeouts and allowed one walk. Orion Kerkering earned the save in a 1-2-3 ninth with a strikeout.

Pan hasn’t allowed a hit through his first 4.0 professional innings... Cabrera has thrown 6.0 innings in two relief appearances... Rao’s 3.0 innings marked the longest outing of his career... Rosario drove in two runs in his Threshers debut... Minyety is 5-8 with three doubles in two starts against Tampa... Rincones Jr. extended his on-base streak to ten-straight games... Viars and Rincon each hit their first home run of the season... Three of Clearwater’s six home runs this season were game-tying homers... This was the first multi-home run game of the year for Clearwater... The Threshers continue their road series against the Tarpons (Single-A, Yankees) on Saturday, April 22nd … Threshers LHP Braeden Fausnaught (0-0, 4.05) is expected to start against Tarpons RHP Sean Hermann (1-1, 0.84)… First pitch is at 6:30 PM... You can purchase tickets for the Threshers season at ThreshersBaseball.com/tickets or by calling 727-467-4457.