Tarpons Drop Series Opener to Flying Tigers, 10-5

TAMPA, Fla. – The Tampa Tarpons fell behind early and couldn’t claw their way back Tuesday night, dropping the series opener to the Lakeland Flying Tigers at “The Tank,” 10-5. Willy Montero impressed his Tarpons’ debut after spending the first half of the season on the IL, going 2-for-5 with a double, triple, and two RBIs.

Lakeland jumped out in front immediately, scoring five runs over the first three innings. The big blow came in the second, when Zach MacDonald launched a three-run homer to left. The Flying Tigers continued to pile on in the fifth, adding four more runs to build a commanding 9-0 lead.

The Tarpons offense finally broke through in the sixth inning. After Josue Gonzalez was hit by a pitch and Juan Matheus singled, Montero lined a two-run double through the left side to put Tampa on the board. Later in the frame, Owen Cobb delivered an RBI single to cut the deficit to 9-3.

Lakeland tacked on one more run in the seventh before Tampa tried mounting a final rally in the ninth. Brian Sanchez led off with a triple, and Gonzalez followed with a towering two-run homer to left to narrow the gap. Montero added his second extra-base hit of the night with a two-out triple, but Tampa couldn’t push across any more runs before the final out.

Gage Ziehl (4-4) took the loss, allowing nine runs (six earned) on 10 hits over five innings while striking out two. Despite the tough outing, the bullpen trio of Tanner Bauman, Justin Lange, and Cade Austin combined to limit Lakeland to just one run over the final four innings.

Stuck in a four-game skid, the Tarpons will look to get back in the win column tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 5:00 PM.