Blue Jays Beat Manatees, Series Final Tonight

By  //  May 4, 2013

Dunedin wins 11-4, Goforth takes loss

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DUNEDIN, FLORIDA – For the second straight night, early offense wasn’t enough for the Brevard County Manatees as they dropped their second straight game, 11-4 to the Dunedin Blue Jays on Friday night at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium.

Brevard County Manatees designated hitter Cody Hawn went 2-for-4 and hit his fourth home run of the season in an 11-4 loss to the Dunedin Blue Jays at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium in Dunedin on Friday night. (Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography image)
Brevard County Manatees designated hitter Cody Hawn went 2-for-4 and hit his fourth home run of the season in an 11-4 loss to the Dunedin Blue Jays at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium in Dunedin on Friday night. (Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography image)

Brevard (14-14) got on the board first when Yadiel Rivera crossed home on a passed ball in the second inning. The ‘Tees then doubled the lead to 2-0, when Cody Hawn opened the fourth with his fourth home run of the season.

Dunedin (17-10) answered back to tie it up in the bottom of the fourth, with Matt Newman’s RBI double bringing home Derrick Chung before Newman scored a run of his own on a Nick Baligod single.

In the top of the fifth, the Manatees wasted no time in regaining the lead. Chadwin Stang led off with a single and then moved to third on a T.J. Mittelstaedt double that appeared as though it had been caught by Blue Jays left fielder Marcus Knecht. Stang then scored on a groundout by Greg Hopkins.

SIX RUNS IN THE FIFTH

The Blue Jays busted the game wide open in the bottom of the fifth inning as a total of six runs came across for Dunedin in the frame.

David Goforth
David Goforth

Each of the first three batters reached and a run had scored before an out was recorded. Marcus Knecht capped off the inning with a three-run homer to make it 8-3 through five innings.

David Goforth (1-4, 4.28) took the loss for Brevard County after allowing seven runs – six earned – on 11 hits in 4.1 innings. He struck out five and walked just one batter. Goforth worked out of a jam with runners on first and third with nobody out in the first and another jam with runners on second and third with two outs in the second.

SERIES FINALE TONIGHT

The Manatees brought it back within four in the eighth, when Hopkins led off with a double, then moved to third and scored on back-to-back ground outs. Both Hopkins and Hawn had two hits each for the ‘Tees.

Matt Miller
Matt Miller

Matt Miller surrendered three more runs to make it 11-4 in the bottom of the eighth after a perfect seventh, as he walked two batters and yielded two doubles. Dunedin reached its season high in both runs (11) and hits (16) on Friday night.

The Manatees will try to salvage the series with the finale on Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. when Brevard’s Brent Suter (1-0, 1.50) and Dunedin’s Casey Lawrence (2-1, 2.67) are expected to square off.

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