The Pittsburgh Pirates suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Miami Marlins for the second consecutive game. After losing in 10 innings on Wednesday, the Bucs dropped this afternoon’s game by a 3-2 score in 11 innings.
This time, Wil Crowe was the victim, giving up a pair of runs in the 11th inning, tagged with both the loss (3-6) and the blown save (4). Zach Thompson started for Pittsburgh and did very well on the mound, giving up one run on four hits in 6.2 innings. The Bucs used a total of five pitchers on the day, and once again held the lead in extra innings, needing only three outs to secure a victory.
The Marlins scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the fifth inning. A double by Joey Wendle scored Billy Hamilton. The umpire’s original call on the field was that Hamilton was out during a home plate collision, but Miami challenged the play, and it was overturned. The Marlins took a 1-0 lead.
Pittsburgh trailed by that one run until the top of the eighth inning. Diego Castillo reached on a fielding error by Brian Anderson at third base, allowing Yoshi Tsutsugo to score, tying the game.
The Bucs broke the 1-1 tie in the top of the 11th inning with the eventual game-winning run. A double by Ben Gamel scored Tsutsugo from third base to make it 2-1.
Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, however, they would meet the same fate as Wednesday night. They held a lead going into the bottom of the inning, and ended up losing the game. A triple by Anderson scored Jesus Aguilar and Avisail Garcia to give the Marlins a walk-off victory for the second straight game.
This was another heartbreaker for the Bucs. They could have very easily walked away from this series having won all four games. Instead, they will have to settle for a split as they continue this difficult road trip against the Colorado Rockies, beginning Friday evening.
Record vs. Marlins: 2-2
Record vs. N.L. East: 6-9
Record on the Road: 18-29
Overall Record: 38-52
And…
As Always…
Let’s Go Bucs!
