Stone Crabs slug way to sweep of Tampa

TAMPA, Fla. (August 11, 2019) - The Stone Crabs matched a season high with 17 hits Sunday, shutting out the Tampa Tarpons 9-0 and earning a four-game sweep at Steinbrenner Field.
The Stone Crabs (72-46, 37-15) scored all nine runs in the first four innings, ambushing Tampa (52-64, 24-26) starter Clark Schmidt (4-5) to earn their sixth straight win.
Wander Franco led the offensive onslaught with four hits. Garrett Whitley drove in three runs and Kaleo Johnson finished 3-for-5 with a double, RBI and run scored.
In a scoreless game in the top of the first, Jake Palomaki lined a single to left. After a Franco base hit moved Palomaki to second, Johnson laced an RBI double off the wall in left to make it 1-0 Stone Crabs. Franco then raced home on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.
Still leading by two in the top of the third, Franco and Johnson started the frame with a pair of singles. Franco scored on an error to make it 3-0 before Schmidt walked the next two batters to load the bases. With one out, Whitley singled to center to plate two and extend the Charlotte lead to 5-0. With two on and two out, Jermaine Palacios singled to right to cap the rally at 7-0 Stone Crabs.
In the fourth, Franco and Johnson delivered back-to-back hits for the third straight time. Two batters later, Zach Rutherford drove a single to right to score Franco and make it 8-0. With two outs, Whitley pulled a double to left to end the scoring at 9-0.
Stone Crabs starting pitcher Tobias Myers (6-1) went five scoreless innings to earn the win, scattering six hits while striking out three. Charlotte right-hander Simon Rosenblum-Larson spun four hitless innings to earn his seventh save and seal the sweep.
Sunday's victory marks the sixth straight win for the Stone Crabs, helping them reach their high-water mark of the season at 26 games above five-hundred.
With St. Lucie losing Sunday, Charlotte now holds a three-game lead in the division with 20 games remaining.
On Monday, the Stone Crabs begin a four-game set with the Daytona Tortugas at 7:05 p.m. Michael Plassmeyer (6-2, 4.44) is scheduled to pitch for Charlotte. Coverage of the series opener starts at 6:50 p.m. on the Stone Crabs Baseball Network.