Tarpons Surge, Snap Lakeland’s 12-Game Win Streak
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Tarpons came out firing Wednesday and snapped Lakeland’s 12-game winning streak with a dominant 7-1 victory at “The Tank”. The night belonged to Allen Facundo on the mound and Wilson Rodriguez at the plate, as Tampa controlled the game from start to finish. Facundo, making
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Tarpons came out firing Wednesday and snapped Lakeland’s 12-game winning streak with a dominant 7-1 victory at “The Tank”. The night belonged to Allen Facundo on the mound and Wilson Rodriguez at the plate, as Tampa controlled the game from start to finish.
Facundo, making his first Single-A appearance since being shelved last June, set the tone early for the Tarps. The left-hander fired four scoreless innings, striking out eight and scattering just two hits. A steady mix of fastballs and sliders kept Lakeland hitters off balance, while the heater topped out at 98 MPH.
Tampa’s offense opened scoring up in the second inning; Juan Matheus and Rodriguez led off with back-to-back singles before Austin Green put Tampa on the board with an RBI single to center. Edgleen Perez followed with a two-run single, giving the Tarpons an early 3-0 cushion.
After Facundo exited, Jack Sokol and Cole Zaffiro combined to hold Lakeland to just one run over the next two innings, with Jackson Fristoe fanning four batters over the final 2.1 frames.
The Tarpons added insurance in the sixth when Marshall Toole delivered a clutch two-run double to the gap in right-center, stretching the lead to 5-1.
In the seventh, Rodriguez capped his impressive night with a two-run homer to put the game out of reach. He finished the night 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs, while Toole added a double, two RBIs, and a stolen base.
The Tarpons will look to keep rolling tomorrow night when Xavier Rivas takes the mound. First pitch is at 6:30 PM.