Photo Credit: Bradley Walker NGSC Sports
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The Clearwater Threshers battled the Dunedin Blue Jays again Friday night. However, Dunedin found its offense and pulled away for a 10-2 victory. The game marked another Beach Dogs night at BayCare Ballpark. Clearwater wore aqua green tops with white and red striped pants. The Threshers also wore aqua green caps for the special event. Meanwhile, Dunedin continued wearing its all-grey uniforms. The Blue Jays paired those uniforms with their royal blue caps.
The weather once again provided a beautiful backdrop for baseball. A warm evening featured blue skies and only a few white clouds. The game also continued a tightly contested series between the two teams. The clubs had split the first four games of the series entering Friday night.
Clearwater won Tuesday’s game and the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader. Dunedin won the second game Thursday and Friday night’s contest. Threshers Strike First. Clearwater opened the scoring in the bottom of the third inning. Third baseman Cade Climie started the rally with a double. Climie then came around to score, giving Clearwater an early 1-0 advantage.
Beach Dogs nights also provide one of Clearwater’s more entertaining traditions. Lucy, a golden retriever, retrieves the bats after Threshers hitters finish their at-bats. The fun continued into the fourth inning as Clearwater added another run. Center fielder Blaine Bullard crossed home plate before the Threshers could record the third out. However, Dunedin quickly answered with a run of its own.
First baseman Ryan Fraden delivered a single that scored third baseman Juan Sanchez. That hit helped the Blue Jays start building momentum. Dunedin Takes Control. The Blue Jays broke the game open during the top of the fifth inning. Dunedin scored five runs while collecting several hits. That offensive burst changed the entire game. Dunedin suddenly held a 6-1 lead over Clearwater.
The Blue Jays continued attacking in the sixth inning. Dunedin added another run after a balk pushed its advantage to 7-1. Right fielder Jake Cook then delivered the biggest hit of the inning. Cook tripled and drove home two additional runs. The triple stretched Dunedin’s advantage to 9-1. The Blue Jays refused to slow down after that big hit. Dunedin added four more runs during the inning.
With three and a half innings remaining, the Blue Jays held a commanding 10-1 advantage. Clearwater struggled to find an answer against Dunedin’s offensive surge. The Threshers managed only five hits throughout the game. Threshers Add Late Run. Clearwater continued fighting despite the large deficit. The Threshers finally added another run in the bottom of the eighth inning. That solo run trimmed Dunedin’s lead to 10-2.
However, the Threshers could not produce another rally. Dunedin closed out the victory without allowing Clearwater to threaten the lead again.The Blue Jays finished the night with 10 runs on 11 hits. They also played a clean defensive game without committing an error. Clearwater finished with two runs on five hits. The Threshers committed one error during the contest.
The loss gave Dunedin another win in the season series. It also prevented Clearwater from taking control of the matchup after the teams split the first four games. For the Threshers, Friday night’s Beach Dogs celebration provided plenty of atmosphere. Unfortunately, the Blue Jays provided most of the offense.
Dunedin’s five-run fifth inning changed the game. Its explosive sixth inning then put the contest out of reach. Clearwater will now look to bounce back in the next meeting with its crosstown rival. The Threshers have already shown they can compete with Dunedin this season. However, Friday night belonged to the Blue Jays. Their 10-2 victory came behind timely hitting and a pair of big offensive innings.
Author Profile
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Bradley Walker (VP) and Head of our Florida 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 host on The Walker Report, where he delivers in-depth sports analysis, interviews, and coverage across multiple levels of competition.
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