Owusu-Asiedu Ends Regular Season with Walkoff Home Run

WP: Josh Bortka (4-2, 5.90)

LP: Joseph Yabbour (1-1, BS (1), 8.24)

BOX SCORE

CLEARWATER, FL – Entering the tenth inning down a run, the Clearwater Threshers (64-63, 21-40) scored four runs, including a walkoff home run by Avery Owusu-Asiedu, in the bottom of the tenth to earn a 10-7 walkoff win over the St. Lucie Mets (45-83, 23-40) on Sunday afternoon at BayCare Ballpark. The Threshers ended the season on a high note ahead of Tuesday’s postseason opener in Lakeland.

St. Lucie scored on a pair of errors to take a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning. The first two batters of the bottom fourth walked, and Kehden Hettiger moved to third base on a failed double steal. After Brady Day drew a walk, Raider Tello ripped a single up the middle to plate Hettiger from third and scored the Threshers’ first run. Day moved to third on a single and scored on a wild pitch by Mets reliever Wilson López to tie the game at two.

The Threshers began another rally with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, beginning with an infield hit by Carson DeMartini. Hettiger and Kodey Shojinaga drew a walk to load the bases before Brady Day singled in the go-ahead run to give Clearwater their first lead. Tello drove in his second run in the next at-bat to make it 4-2 Clearwater.

A two-out single from St. Lucie put the Mets back within one run, but when a second two-out single followed Carter Mathison stopped a run from scoring with a throw from right to keep the Threshers in the lead by one. With two outs in the seventh inning, a wild pitch and an error allowed two runs to score for St. Lucie, as they retook the lead 5-4.

The Mets added another run in the top of the eighth to match their largest lead at two runs. Mathison and Joel Dragoo traded doubles with two outs in the ninth, with Dragoo plating Mathison from second to put Clearwater within one. DeMartini tied the game with a two-out single, which sent the game to extras knotted at 6.

After a wild pitch in the top of the tenth moved the Mets’ extra-runner to third, a double play allowed the runner to score to give St. Lucie a one-run lead. Shojinaga led off the top of the tenth with a single, moving the extra runner, Hettiger, to third base. Brady Day singled up the middle for an RBI to tie the game in the next at-bat. Tello reached on a fielder’s choice to hold runners on second and third before Owusu-Asiedu drilled a 1-0 pitch over the left field wall to walk off the final game of the season, finishing with a 10-7 win for the Threshers.

Matt Osterberg struck out two in 3.0 scoreless and hitless innings in a no-decision. Pedro Reyes allowed three runs (one earned) in 3.0 innings, allowing five hits and a walk with one strikeout. Drew Garrett allowed two runs on three walks and one strikeout in 0.2 frames. Saul Teran allowed one run, one hit, one walk and one strikeout in 1.1 frames. Josh Bortka (4-2) earned the win in the final 2.0 innings, allowing one unearned run with no hits in 2.0 innings, walking one and striking out one.

Mathison reached in each of his first 11 regular season games as a pro...Tello drove in multiple runs in a game for the first time in his pro career...Owusu-Asiedu’s homer marked the seventh walkoff win of the year for the Threshers...They finished 6-5 in extra inning-games...It was the second walkoff homer for the Threshers in 2024...Six of Clearwater’s ten runs were scored in the final two innings...The Threshers travel to Lakeland for a Division Series rematch against the Lakeland Flying Tigers...First pitch will be at 6:30 PM EST on Tuesday, September Tenth...You can purchase Threshers tickets at ThreshersBaseball.com/tickets or by calling 727-467-4457…The Box Office at BayCare Ballpark is also open daily to purchase Threshers tickets…The hours are 10 AM-5 PM Monday through Friday and 10 AM-3 PM on Saturdays.