Tonight we were treated to an old fashioned pitchers’ duel in a 10-inning Threshers 2-1 victory.  All three runs were tainted by errors, 2 were unearned.  Through 9 innings, both teams had been able to manage only 1 run and 2 hits each.

Ethan Stewart put together a quality start in his first outing of the season.  After a first inning sequence that began with an infield error, a 5-pitch walk, a wild pitch, and a sacrifice fly to center, Stewart retired 12 consecutive hitters on 31 pitches.  A leadoff 4-pitch walk in the 5^th was followed by a chopped single over the mound.  Eleven pitches later the inning was over with no further damage.  The final out was recorded when a Jays’ runner was thrown out by Logan Moore while trying to advance to second base on a bounced pitch that Moore blocked and controlled.  Stewart then threw a 7-pitch 6^th where he also recorded his only strike out.  A one out double in the 7^th followed by a 5-pitch walk caused little drama as Stewart retired his final 2 hitters on 5 consecutive strikes.

Stewart’s final line was 7 innings pitched, 1 unearned run, 2 hits, 3 walks, and 1 strike out. He threw 78 pitches – 45 strikes and 33 balls.

The bullpen was equally good.  Chris Burgess retired three batters on infield ground balls. Colton Murray retired 6 of the 7 batters he faced, walking one and striking out 2.  He also was credited with the win.

Offensively, there was very little happening.  Starter Taylor Cole was just as tough for Dunedin.  The Threshers scratched out a run off the righty in the third when Brian Pointer launched a towering shot to the wall in the right-center field gap. The centerfielder may have lost the ball in the sun.  Regardless, Pointer ended up on third with a triple.  Anthony Phillips walked putting runners on the corners for Justin Parr.  Phillips advanced to second on a passed ball but Pointer couldn’t score from third.  Parr hit a hard one hopper that ate up the first baseman and bounced awayallowing Pointer to score.  One out later Pete Lavin appeared to end the inning with a fly ball to left center but instead loaded the bases on catcher’s interference.  Cole then retired the next hitter with his third strike out of the inning.

Parr reached on an infield single in the 8^th, nothing became of it.

Logan Moore walked to start the 10^th and K.C. Serna came in as a pinch runner.  Brian Pointer executed a perfect sacrifice bunt down the first base line and beat the throw which was delivered poorly by the catcher allowing Serna to take third on the error.  Pointer stole second on the first pitch.  With the infield in, Phillips bounced a ball up the middle to score Serna with the only hit of the inning and third for the Threshers in the game.

Defensively –

• Mora made a good play ranging to his left to throw out a fast runner.
• Lavin retreated to catch a ball on the run in front of the centerfield wall.
• Moore blocked and controlled a ball in the dirt and threw out a runner at second with a runner at third to end an inning.
• Phillips moved hard to his right to glove and throw off balance to get the speedy Dwight Smith, Jr.

Other stuff –

• Phillips walk after Pointer’s triple was a very disciplined at bat, he laid off some really close pitches.
• Carmona drove a ball deep to the right field wall.
• Lavin battled back from 1-2 count, fouling off a couple pitches before drawing a walk.
• Harold Martinez was more aggressive than I remember, swinging at first pitches in 3 of 4 at bats.
• Martinez drove a ball into left center that was caught by Smith, Jr. who displayed a strong arm when he almost doubled Lavin off first.
• Charlie Manuel was in attendence again.

Tomorrow night back to Dunedin for game three of the 4-game home-and-home series.