WP: Jack Eshleman (1-0, 8.31)
LP: Camron Hill (1-1, 2.25)
DUNEDIN, FL – After taking the lead in the top of the tenth inning, the Clearwater Threshers (6-6) fell for the second straight night in a walkoff loss to the Dunedin Blue Jays (7-5), falling 8-7 in ten innings on Thursday night at TD Ballpark. Clearwater looks to snap their skid when they return to Dunedin on Friday night.
The Threshers came storming out of the gate with hits on the first two pitches of the game. Nathan Humphreys led off with a double off major league rehabber José Berríos, and Griffin Burkholder singled him over to third on the very next pitch. After Alirio Ferrebus worked a walk to load the bases, Matthew Ferrara sent a screamer down the left field line for a double that plated the first two runs of the game. Ferrebus moved to third on the two-run double and scored on a groundout during the next at-bat. With two outs and two strikes on him, Nolan Beltran singled home Ferrara from second base to give the Threshers a 4-0 lead after the first inning.
Dunedin answered in the bottom of the second inning, posting three runs to cut the deficit to one run. Clearwater got a run back on a solo home run by Ferrara to make it 5-3 and force the Blue Jays to pull Berríos from the game after 2.2 innings. The Blue Jays took their first lead in the bottom of the fourth inning, plating three runs to flip the score to 6-5 in favor of Dunedin.
Ferrara continued his hot streak in the ninth, legging out a triple to left field to lead off the frame. Juan Villavicencio followed with a deep fly ball to centerfield, allowing Ferrara to score from third and tie the game at six. After a scoreless bottom of the ninth, the game went into extra innings for the second night in a row. Tyler Pettorini pinch ran for Guillermo Rosario and began the tenth as the extra runner on second base. On a sacrifice bunt attempt by Jack Barker, the throw to first from Blue Jays reliever Jack Eshleman sailed into right field, allowing Pettorini to score from second on the error and give the Threshers back the lead.
The bottom of the tenth started similarly, with the Blue Jays' leadoff man, Juan Sanchez, reaching on a throwing error that allowed Dunedin to tie the game at seven. After a single put two runners aboard, the next two batters got hit by a pitch, with the final hit by pitch coming with the bases loaded to seal an 8-7 defeat in the tenth.
Cody Bowker surrendered three runs on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts over 3.0 innings in a no-decision. Zuher Yousuf allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits with one walk and two strikeouts in 3.0 innings of work. Keegan Batka tossed 2.0 scoreless and hitlless innings, walking one and striking out four. Camron Hill (1-1) took the loss, allowing two unearned runs in 1.0 inning of work on one hit and two strikeouts.
Ferrara is the first Thresher to hit multiple homers in the same series in 2026...He has driven in seven runs in the first three games of this series...Humphreys has recorded an extra-base hit in each of the last four games...Beltran has recorded multiple hits in three of his first five games...Jaeden Calderon came on to play first base in the tenth...The Threshers continue their first six-game road series against the Dunedin Blue Jays on Friday, April 17...First pitch on Friday evening will take place at 6:30 pm...You can purchase Threshers tickets at ThreshersBaseball.com/tickets or by calling 727-467-4457…The BayCare Ballpark Box Office is open Monday through Friday from 10 am – 5 pm...The box office will be open on Saturdays from 10 am - 3 pm...Visit our website at threshersbaseball.com for information on tickets and promotions for the Threshers season.