TAMPA, Fla. – The Tampa Tarpons (10-13) completed a much-needed doubleheader sweep of the St. Lucie Mets on Wednesday evening, rallying for a walk-off win in game one before closing things out with a 7-4 victory in the nightcap.
GAME 1
The Tarpons wasted little time getting on the board, as Jackson Lovich launched a solo home run the opposite way in the bottom of the first to give Tampa an early 1-0 lead.
The Mets evened the score in the third, but the Tarpons regained control in the fifth. Hans Montero and Santiago Gomez delivered back-to-back triples, with Gomez driving in a run before Luis Durango added a sacrifice fly to put Tampa ahead, 3-1.
St. Lucie surged ahead in the sixth, taking advantage of a pair of defensive miscues. Julio Zayas delivered a two-run single, and JT Benson capped the inning with a two-run homer to put the Mets in front, 5-3.
Tampa chipped away in the bottom half, as Enmanuel Tejeda doubled and later scored on a groundout by JoJo Jackson to cut the deficit to one. The Tarpons then pulled even in the seventh after Willy Montero singled and eventually came around to score on Durango’s base hit to knot the game at five apiece and force extra innings.
In extras, the Mets reclaimed the lead with a sacrifice fly, but the Tarpons would have the final say. Engelth Urena tied the game with an RBI-single, and Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek followed with a base hit to drive home the winning run to secure the 7-6 victory.
Mac Heuer tossed three plus innings of one-run ball in his professional debut, allowing just one run on three hits, while striking out four. Bryce Warrecker was spotless in his first rehab relief appearance, and Parker Seay earned the win out of the bullpen.
GAME 2
After a quiet first inning on both sides, the Tarpons struck first in the second. Ediel Rivera worked a two-out walk, and Hans Montero made it count, driving a double to left field to plate the game’s first run.
Tyler Boudreau drew the start in the nightcap and was lights out through four innings of work. The right-hander surrendered only two hits and two walks, while fanning five batters.
Tampa used a two-out rally in the bottom of the third to tack on another run. Enmanuel Tejeda singled, and Brando Mayea followed with a line-drive double to left-center that brought him home. The early momentum continued into the fourth when Engelth Urena drew a walk and Willy Montero launched a two-run homer to left-center, extending the Tarpons’ lead to 4–0.
St. Lucie got on the board in the fifth via a solo home run from Francisco Toledo, but the Tarpons responded right back in the bottom half. Jackson Lovich reached on a walk and later scored on an RBI single from Mayea to make it 5–1.
Willy Montero stayed hot in the sixth, crushing his second home run of the night - this time to right-center - before a string of hits followed. Rivera doubled, Hans Montero singled him home, and Kevin Verde and Santiago Gomez each added base hits to keep the pressure on, pushing the lead to 7–1.
The Mets made things interesting in the seventh, capitalizing on a defensive miscue to spark a three-run rally. Elian Peña and Edward Lantigua delivered back-to-back RBI doubles to cut the deficit to 7–4, but the Tarpons were able to slam the door from there and secure the win.
Matthew Tippie earned the victory in relief, improving to 2–1 on the season.
The Tarpons return to action Thursday night looking to carry the momentum forward, with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 PM.