Press Release: Tarpons Outslug St. Lucie Mets 15-7

Mets bash 14 hits in high-scoring loss 

TAMPA, Fla. (August 21, 2021) – The Tampa Tarpons outslugged the St. Lucie Mets 15-7 on Saturday afternoon at Steinbrenner Field (Box Score). 

The Tarpons hit four home runs, including a grand slam by Cooper Bowman that turned a one-run lead into a 10-5 advantage in the sixth inning. 

Seven of the Mets hitters recorded a hit and all nine players in the lineup reached base in the loss. Warren Saunders went 3 for 5 with a double and RBI. Alex Ramirez also went 3 for 5. 

Jose Colina went 2 for 5 with a two-run homer and a double. 

Cesar Berbesi was 2 for 4 with a pair of RBI doubles. Brandon McIlwain collected two hits. 

The Mets took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Saunders' RBI double and a run-scoring ground out by Juan Uriarte. 

The Tarpons jumped ahead 3-2 on a three-run homer by Ben Rice off Mets starter Jose Chacin in the third inning. 

After the Mets tied the game 3-3 on a Berbesi double in the fourth inning, Eric Wagaman belted a two-run double against Chacin in the bottom of the inning to put Tampa up 5-3. 

Tyler Harmdan extend the Tarpons advantage to 6-3 with a RBI single in the fifth. 

Colina's towering two-run homer in the sixth inning knocked Tampa starter Blas Castano from the game and brought the Mets to within one run, 6-5. 

However, the Tarpons pulled away against reliever Franklin Parra in the bottom of the sixth. Parra walked two batters and gave up a single before Bowman launched his grand slam to make it a 10-5 game. 

Tampa got a home run from Juan De Leon and a triple RBI triple by Trey Sweeney in the seventh.

Berbesi and Omar De Los Santos had run-scoring hits for the Mets in the eight to cut the Tampa lead to 14-7. 

Hardman led off the bottom of the eighth with a home run to complete the scoring. He went 2 for 3 with three RBI and three runs. 

Chacin (3-2) took the loss for the Mets. He was tagged for six runs (five earned) on six hits over 4.2 innings. 

Castano (3-2) got the win for the Tarpons despite allowing five runs in five innings. 

The Mets (49-43) and Tarpons (63-29) conclude their series at Steinbrenner Field on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.