Photo Credit: Bradley Walker NGSC Sports
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The final six games of the season are against the Tampa Tarpons. At this point, the Threshers are 3.5 games up on the Bradenton Marauders for the final playoff spot. If they can win, they can narrow their magic number to two with a win. Clearwater came out in their normal home jerseys with red tops, caps, and white striped pants. The Tarpons were in light blue and black tops. They also wore grey pants on a typical humid Florida evening. The first pitch took place shortly after 6:30 with a great rendition of the national anthem. The anthem was sung by a young lady who had the crowd cheering and clapping after she finished. In the first few innings, Thresher’s pitching struggled to throw strikes.
The Tarpons got on the board first as Enmanuel Tejeda hit an RBI single to right, scoring Dax Kilby. That did not deter Clearwater as they scored the tying run in the bottom on a sac fly by Luke Davis. The biggest inning for the Clearwater Threshers was the bottom of the third when they scored three runs. The runs came in two different ways, one on an RBI double by Raider Tello and the other on a throwing error by Tampa. This gave the Threshers a 4-1 lead after three innings. The next three innings were lackadaisical, with no runs being scored. The game got exciting for both teams as it went to the final three frames.
The Tampa Tarpons got two runs in the top of the seventh off the bat of Dax Kilby, who scored Tampa’s first run. He hit an RBI triple, cutting the Clearwater lead to just two runs. This is where the Thresher fans started to get a little worried because their three-run lead was down to one after the Tarpons added another one in the eighth. Clearwater got a big insurance run at the bottom of the eighth, keeping a 5-4 lead. The Threshers were just one out away from winning the game before they allowed Tampa to tie the game in the top of the 9th. Clearwater was unable to score a run in the 9th, forcing extras.
As we all know, at the minor and major league levels, there is a ghost runner on second base. The Tarpons tried everything to get the lead run and had moved their ghost runner, Willy Montero, to third base. Somehow, Threshers pitchers made the pitches when they needed to and kept the game tied as they came up to bat in the bottom of the tenth. The Threshers’ ghost runner advanced to third, and with Nolan Beltran up to bat, he hit a sac fly to center field deep enough to score Manolfi Jimenez, scoring the winning run. This was big for them because the magic number to clinch a playoff spot is even tinier. They have a double header today versus the Tarpons after winning the game 6-5.
How exciting for the Clearwater Threshers getting a walk off win? Leave a comment below.
For all your minor league baseball news log on to ngscsports.com.
For more follow me on social media at Facebook: Bradley Walker, on X: bradwalker3083, on YouTube: The Walker report, and my two weekly sports podcasts: The P&W Sports Report and The Walker Report.
Author Profile
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Bradley Walker serves as the Director of Operations for NGSC Sports, bringing extensive experience across collegiate, professional, and amateur athletics. His coverage spans USF Athletics, including football, baseball, lacrosse, and softball, as well as University of Tampa baseball.
Bradley also provides coverage of minor league baseball with the Clearwater Threshers and Major League Baseball with the Tampa Bay Rays. On the national stage, he covers college football bowl games and conference championship matchups, along with premier golf events across the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and LPGA Tour.
In addition to his reporting work, Bradley is the play-by-play announcer for Pinellas Park High School Patriots football, lending his voice and insight to Friday night lights.
He is also an active podcast host and contributor, serving as a co-host on the P&W Sports Report and hosting The Walker Report, where he delivers in-depth sports analysis, interviews, and coverage across multiple levels of competition.
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