TAMPA, Fla. – After an hour-long rain delay, the Tampa Tarpons jumped out to an early lead and never looked back Saturday night, defeating the St. Lucie Mets at George M. Steinbrenner Field, 5-2.
St. Lucie struck first in the opening inning without recording a hit. Edward Lantigua was hit by a pitch, swiped both second and third, and came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Randy Guzman.
Tampa responded immediately in the bottom half, as Luis Durango reached on an error, moved to third on a steal, and scored on a single by Brando Mayea. Later in the inning, JoJo Jackson lined a base hit up the middle to plate Mayea and give the Tarpons a 2-1 advantage.
The Tarpons added to their lead in the second, as Hans Montero came home on a wild pitch to make it 3-1.
Tampa continued to apply pressure in the third. Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek reached on a fielder’s choice, and advanced to third on pass ball. Willy Montero followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Martin-Grudzielanek and extend the lead to 4-1.
The Tarpons tacked on another run in the fifth. Engelth Urena reached on a single and later scored on a base hit from Martin-Grudzielanek, pushing the advantage to 5-1.
On the mound, starter J.T. Etheridge was in complete control, limiting the Mets to just one run over five innings while striking out seven en route to his second win of the season.
The bullpen trio of Bryce Warrecker, Pedro Rodriguez, and Parker Seay combined to keep St. Lucie in check over the final four innings. The Mets managed a run in the ninth on an RBI single by Julio Zayas, but a game-ending double play quickly shut the door.
The Tarpons and Mets return to action Sunday afternoon for the series finale, with first pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.m.