Tampa Starters Steamroll Manatees in Doubleheader Sweep

Malik Collymore

The Tampa Yankees got dominating pitching performances from Josh Rogers and Domingo Acevedo on Monday, as the two fired back-to-back 2-0 complete game shutouts against the visiting Brevard County Manatees at George M. Steinbrenner Field, completing a doubleheader sweep for the home nine.

Rogers allowed three infield singles to the Brevard County in game one, it was his second complete game shutout of the season. He was very economical, boosting his record to 5-3. He struck out six over his seven innings of shutout baseball. He hit a batter in the seventh, but didn’t allow a walk and struck out six, throwing 88 pitches, 63 for strikes in a game that lasted one hour 21 minutes. Game two was 10 minutes longer.

Of the three hits Rogers allowed, two came in the fourth inning and Brandon Diaz was the only Brevard County player to reach second base. After sending the first nine down in order, Rogers allowed a bunt single to Malik Collymore to start the fourth. Rogers got rid of him quickly, picking him off at first base. One out later, Dustin DeMuth singled, but was stranded at first when Elvis Rubio grounded out.

Manatees starter Eric Hanhold pitched well in the loss, but couldn’t solve Vicente Conde, who doubled twice and scored both runs. Conde got Hanhold with two outs in the second inning, hitting a ground-rule double to right. He came home on a Bo Thompson single, making it 1-0 in favor of the home nine. Conde led off the fifth inning with a two-bagger and after going to third on a Thompson ground out, he scored on Wes Wilson’s sac fly, giving the Yankees a second run. The Manatees got a runner on in the top of the seventh when DeMuth was hit by a pitch, but Rubio grounded into a double play and Clint Coulter struck out to end the game.

Hanhold (2-9) went the distance for the Manatees, striking out one, walking one and allowing six hits. He threw 77 pitches, 48 for strikes.

For more info: Brevard County @ Tampa boxscore (Game 1)

Acevedo (1-1) picked up right where Rogers left off, as he held the Manatees to five hits in game two, three of those were infield hits. The Yankees starters did not allow an extra-base hit in 14 innings of baseball. Acevedo hit 96 a few times on the gun and touched 97 in the fifth inning and 99 in the sixth inning. To go along with that, he only needed four pitches to retire the side in the top of the fourth. 

George Iskenderian had a hard hit single in the second inning of game two, it was the hardest hit ball of the night. After that, Acevedo went on to retire 11 straight Manatees. The streak was snapped when Brandon Diaz was hit by a pitch to start the sixth inning.

Conde continued to torment the Manatees in game two, going 2-for-3 with an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth, against Brevard County starter Kodi Medeiros. It was the only run the Yankees would need, but Austin Aune added some insurance, belting his fifth homer of the season off of Manatees reliever Clint Terry in the sixth. Medeiros (3-7) pitched four innings, giving up five hits and one earned run. He walked one and struck out three, throwing 41 of his 65 pitches for strikes. Acevedo picked up his first complete-game of the season, allowing five hits and striking out six. He threw 73 pitches, 55 strikes.

For more info: Brevard County @ Tampa boxscore (Game 2)

Conde Led the way for Tampa’s offense, going 4-for-5 over the two games with two runs scored and an RBI. Iskenderian went 0-for-2 in game one, but came back with a two hit performance in game two, for the Manatees, who managed eight hits in the two games combined. 

Tampa had eight hits in game two alone. Tampa improved to 45-29 overall and 3-2 in the second half. The Manatees are now 23-50 overall and 0-5 in the second half. They will try to salvage the final game of the series Wednesday, with a 7:00 p.m. first pitch in Tampa. 

This article originally appeared on the now defunct Examiner.com on 6/27/16