Andujar Ambushes Manatees, Late Rally Falls Short

Tampa Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar hit two home runs and racked up five RBIs Saturday, leading his team to a 9-6 win over the Brevard County Manatees as 1,293 fans were treated to quite an offensive show. The two teams combined for 24 hits in a game that took three hours and one minute.

Manatees’ starter Eric Hanhold was on the receiving end of the wrath of Andujar, which took flight in the second inning. Santiago Nessy got Tampa on the board with a two-run double and Jorge Mateo followed with an RBI double of his own, making it 3-0. Mateo then took off for third and Manatees catcher Adam Weisenburger’s throw went into left field, making it 4-0. After a walk to Abiatal Avelino, Hanhold gave up a 397-ft blast to Andujar. With that, the Manatees found themselves down 6-0.

Ian Clarkin, the Yankees number 10 prospect was on the mound for Tampa and he did give the Manatees their chances, including in the bottom of the second. He walked Weisenburger and Fidel Pena to start the inning. Two outs later, Malik Collymore singled, loading the bases. Johnny Davis got a good ball to hit, but he flew out, squandering the opportunity. Andujar would strike again in the top of the fourth. Mateo got an infield hit with one out and Avelino was hit by a pitch. That brought Andujar up and he got a hold of a fastball, driving it out of the deepest part of the park and giving the T-Yanks a 9-0 lead. The second homer measured 405 feet.

“Andujar’s one of the top prospects on the team,” said Manatees manager Joe Ayrault. “With his two run homer and three run homer, it was a big night for him.” That second home run spelled the end of the night for Hanhold, who allowed nine runs (all earned) on eight hits. He walked two and struck out five in 3.1 innings. He threw 72 pitches, 44 for strikes, before Zach Hirsch took the mound to get the final two outs of the fourth. Hirsch pitched well from the jump. He kept the Yankees at bay, giving up five hits in 4.2 innings of work. He did not allow a run, didn’t walk a batter and struck out five. 44 of his 67 pitches were strikes. “He’s filled multiple roles for us,” said Ayrault of Hirsch. “He’s started for us, he’s been our long guy and he’s come into a couple games early and he’s done a great job shutting the opposing team down.”

The Manatees (16-33) would get to Clarkin again in the sixth, only to see him escape. With two outs, Weisenburger drew a walk. Pena singled and a balk moved them to second and third. Elvis Rubio singled to load the bases, but Clarkin got Jose Cuas to ground out, ending the inning and keeping it 9-0. Clarkin would exit after that frame, throwing 101 pitches, 67 for strikes. He allowed five hits, four walks and struck out three. Joey Maher came in and the Manatees suddenly found their offense. Collymore walked, Davis singled and Angel Ortega’s infield hit loaded the bases. Clint Coulter lifted a deep sacrifice fly to left, plating Brevard County’s first run. Davis scored on a wild pitch and Dustin DeMuth beat out an infield single, to make it 9-3.

Caleb Frare came in to pitch the eighth inning for Tampa and the Manatees got to him early and often. Rubio led off with a single and Cuas doubled to left. Collymore was next to the plate and watched as Nessy let the ball get by him behind the plate, scoring Rubio with the fourth run. Collymore would get an RBI ground out, making it 9-5 and Frare would then proceed to walk Davis, Ortega and Coulter, to again load the bases. Coulter’s at-bat was an impressive one, spanning 10 pitches. He fouled off at least five, before earning that walk.

That was the end of the night for Frare, who gave up three runs on two hits in a third of an inning. 

Travis Hissong came in from the bullpen with DeMuth at the plate, representing the tying run. He hit a ball that chased the shortstop back to the outfield grass. It wasn’t hit far, but Davis noticed the fielders back was to the infield and he took off for home, sliding in safely with the Manatees sixth run. No one else on the roster could’ve scored on a play like that, but as usual Davis made his speed work for him and got his team a run closer. Weisenburger would strikeout, ending the threat.

“It was good to see the guys battling,” said Ayrault. “Two rough innings got us, but it was good to see them chip away with three in the seventh and three more in the eighth, guys had some fire going.” The only Manatee without a hit was Coulter, but he contributed an RBI. Davis, DeMuth and Pena each had two hits.

Kaleb Earls came in to pitch the ninth for the Manatees. He walked two in the inning and saw Vicente Conde hit a ball hard to left, that Collymore got a good jump on and made an impressive diving catch for the third out. “He’s done a great job,” Ayrault said of Collymore. “He was in our extended program and he was playing really well down there and when Omar (Garcia) went up, they shot him to us. That play tonight saved a couple runs from scoring, kept us in the ballgame and he’s had some good ABs for us.”

For more info: Tampa @ Brevard County boxscore

Hissong stayed on to pitch the ninth and gave up a single to Pena, before striking out the side to end the game and pick up his second save. With the win, Tampa improves to 31-19. 

Tampa will go for the sweep Sunday, sending Major League rehabber Luis Severino to the mound for at least an inning or two of work. He will likely be followed by Chance Adams, who is 3-0 on the season. Bubba Derby (4-2, 4.14 ERA will likely be the Manatees starter. Game time is set for 5:05 p.m.

This article originally appeared on the now defunct Examiner.com on 5/28/16