PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (April 17, 2018) - Nate Lowe reached base four times Tuesday, but the Charlotte Stone Crabs fell 9-4 to the Clearwater Threshers at Charlotte Sports Park.Lowe is batting .400 through his first 12 games and has tallied five extra-base hits, 9 RBI and five walks. He finished
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (April 17, 2018) - Nate Lowe reached base four times Tuesday, but the Charlotte Stone Crabs fell 9-4 to the Clearwater Threshers at Charlotte Sports Park.
Lowe is batting .400 through his first 12 games and has tallied five extra-base hits, 9 RBI and five walks. He finished 3-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored Tuesday.
Clearwater (3-9) started their offensive attack early against Stone Crabs (4-8) starter Brock Burke (0-2). After Burke walked Arquimedes Gamboa, Adam Haseley lined a double down the left field line to put runners at second and third with one out. Darick Hall followed by blooping a single into left to give the Threshers a 1-0 lead. After a walk loaded the bases, Henri Lartigue bounced a single into left to score Haseley and make the Clearwater lead 2-0. After a strikeout, Raul Rivas rolled a ball out to second base. Stone Crabs infielder Tristan Gray botched the grounder, allowing two runs to score and extending the Threshers' lead to 4-0.
However, Charlotte fought right back in the bottom of the inning. Brad Miller singled up the middle with one out before Robbie Tenerowicz reached on an error, putting Miller at second. Nate Lowe followed with a broken-bat RBI ground rule double to the right field corner, cutting the deficit to 4-1. With men at second and third and two outs, Jesús Sánchez drove home a pair on a single to right, pulling the Stone Crabs to within 4-3.
That's the closest Charlotte would get. After Burke worked three more scoreless frames, he allowed the first four Threshers batters to reach in the fifth, surrendering a run on an Austin Listi single. With the Stone Crabs down 5-3, Adrian Navas allowed inherited runners to score on a fielder's choice and an RBI single from Rivas, capping the inning with Clearwater in front 7-3.
In the bottom of the sixth, Lowe singled before Sanchez doubled him to third with one out. David Rodríguez followed with an RBI groundout to shortstop, bringing home Lowe to make it 7-4.
The Threshers added two runs in the top of the seventh on a Jose Pujols two-run home run to center, making the final tally 9-4. Charlotte loaded the bases in the ninth but couldn't push anything across.
The Stone Crabs will look to even the series Wednesday night at 6:35 p.m. Brandon Lawson (0-1, 4.66) makes the start for Charlotte against Connor Seabold (0-1, 5.23) of Clearwater. Coverage begins at 6:20 p.m. on the Stone Crabs Baseball Network.
