TAMPA, Fla. – The Tampa Tarpons swept both ends of Saturday's doubleheader against the Clearwater Threshers at George M. Steinbrenner Field, storming back for an 8-6 comeback victory in the opener before leaning on Tyler Boudreau for a 5-3 win in the nightcap.
Game One
Clearwater jumped on Tampa early, taking a 6-1 lead after two innings with Luis Puello producing the Tarpons' lone run on an RBI double.
The Tarpons began mounting their comeback in the bottom of the third. David McCann drove in Puello with a line-drive single to right before another run scored on a productive double play, trimming the deficit to 6-3.
Tampa completed the comeback in the fourth with a pair of home runs. Hans Montero pulled the Tarpons within one with a two-run blast just inside the left-field foul pole. McCann followed with a blistering three-run shot that nearly left the stadium, giving Tampa an 8-6 lead.
Parker Seay improved to 4-0 on the season after relieving Sabier Marte with 2.1 clean frames to keep Tampa within range.
Brian Hendry and Austin Breedlove followed suit and combined for 3.0 scoreless innings out of the bullpen to seal the 8-6 victory.
Game Two
Tampa struck first in the opening inning when Jackson Lovich singled and scored on Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek's sacrifice fly to give the Tarpons an early 1-0 lead.
Boudreau kept Clearwater off the board through the first five innings, and earned the win after allowing one run on two hits over six innings while striking out four.
The Tarpons broke the game open in the fifth. Hans Montero singled to begin the inning before Martin-Grudzielanek drew a walk. McCann followed with a two-run double to left, extending the lead to 3-0. After Brando Mayea advanced McCann to third with a groundout, Ediel Rivera lined a two-out RBI single through the left side to make it 4-0.
Clearwater got on the board in the sixth on a two-out solo home run, but Lovich answered immediately in the bottom half with a leadoff blast to left-center field, restoring Tampa's four-run advantage at 5-1.
Greysen Carter surrendered two runs in the seventh before retiring Jonathan Hogart on a deep fly ball to center field with the bases loaded, securing the 5-3 victory.
The Tarpons will wrap up their six-game set against the Threshers tomorrow afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.m.