FSL Championship Series Game Five: Charlotte Stone Crabs vs Tampa Yankees

Port Charlotte, Florida: The Charlotte Stone Crabs inaugural season came to an end on Wednesday night as the Stone Crabs fell to the Tampa Yankees in game five of the Florida State League Championship Season. The Yankees took the series 3-2, winning the 2009 Florida State League Championship.

The game got underway after a two and a half hour rain delay. As with the previous two games, both pitchers dueled through a scoreless tie for the first few innings of the game. Tampa broke the tie in the fourth inning. David Adams led off the inning with a double to the left field corner. Brian Flores then threw away the ball on a pick-off attempt, allowing Adams to move to third. Austin Romine followed with a ground ball that scored Adams and gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead.

Tampa struck for three more runs in the fifth inning. Luis Nunez and Jack Rye got things started with back to back singles. Then Walter Ibarra struck a double to right to score Nunez and move Rye to third. David Adams later followed with an two run single to right field that put the Yankees ahead 4-0.

The Stone Crabs reached the scoreboard in the bottom half of the sixth inning. Matt Hall doubled to left field to put a runner on the bases. Then Drew Anderson drove him home with a single to left that pulled the Stone Crabs to within three.

Tampa picked up an insurance run in the eighth inning. Daniel Brewer drew a walk to lead off the inning. David Adams followed with a single to right that advanced Brewer to third. Brewer later scored on a wild pitch by Josh Satow to increase their lead to 5-1.

Charlotte tried to mount a comeback in the eighth inning. John Matulia singled to center to get things started. Matt Hall followed with a walk to put runners on first and second with one out. Drew Anderson the hit a single to short that scored Matulia and moved Hall to second. The Stone Crabs then pulled the double steal to move both runners into scoring position. But Greg Sexton popped out for the third run of the inning stranding the runners and the Yankees held on to win game five by the score of 5-2 and take the title.

Brian Flores suffered the loss, pitching 3 innings and allowing 1 run on 2 hits with 2 strikeouts and a walk. Tommy Rafferty followed and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits in 2 innings while striking out 1. Marquis Fleming pitched 2 innings and allowed 1 run on 1 hit with 2 strikeouts and a walk. Josh Satow pitched the final 2 innings, allowing no hits and striking out 2 with 1 walk. Trent Lare was the winning pitcher for Tampa.

For more pictures from the game visit the Stone Crabs vs Yankees photo page.

FSL Championship Series Game Four: Charlotte Stone Crabs vs Tampa

Port Charlotte, Florida; The Charlotte Stone Crabs battled back to tie the FSL Championship Series by defeating the Tampa Yankees 3-1 on Tuesday night at Charlotte Sports Park. With the win, the series is now tied 2-2.

The Stone Crabs were led by a dominating performance on the mound by David Newmann. Newmann pitched a no-hitter through seven innings and held the shut-out into the ninth.

Charlotte broke the scoreless tie in the sixth inning. Nevin Ashley singled to right to lead off the inning. Drew Anderson drew a walk later in the inning. Greg Sexton followed with a home run to left field, giving the Stone Crabs a 3-0 lead.

The Yankees tried to mount a comeback in the ninth inning. Daniel Brewer got thing started with a single to left. David Adams followed with a double to center, advancing Brewer to third. Then Damon Sublett followed with a ground ball to first that scored Brewer and moved Adams to third. Richard De Los Santos came into the game and recorded the final out to give the Stone Crabs the 3-1 win.

David Newman earned the victory, pitching 8 2/3 innings and allowed 1 run on 4 hits while striking out 4 and walking 1. Richard De Los Santos recoded the save by getting the third out in the ninth inning to nail down the Stone Crabs win. Ryan Zink was the losing pitcher for Tampa.

For more pictures from the game, visit my Game Four photo page.

FSL Championship Series Game Three: Charlotte Stone Crabs vs Tampa Yankees

Port Charlotte, Florida: The Charlotte Stone Crabs lost to the Tampa Yankees 3-1 on Monday night in game three of the FSL Championship Series. The lost put the Stone Crabs one game behind the Yankees 2-1 in the best of five series.

Alex Cobb and DJ Mitchell dueled through five full scoreless innings. But the Yankees took the zero of the board in the top of the sixth inning. Damon Sublett reached base on a walk. Austin Romine followed with an RBI double to center that scored Sublett and gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead.

Tampa added some insurance to their lead in the ninth inning, posting two more runs to the scoreboard. Once again it was Damon Sublett getting things started, this time with a single to center. Sublett then stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error by Nevin Ashley. Austin Romine followed with an RBI double to right to score Sublett and Romine came in to score on a throwing error by John Matulia, increasing the Yankee lead to 3-0.

The Stone Crabs threatened in the bottom of the ninth inning. Matt Sweeney drew a walk to lead off the inning followed by a single by Shawn Williams. Ryan Royster then delivered a pinch hit single to left that score Sweeney and advanced Williams to second. Nevin Ashley delivered a sac bunt to move both runners into scoring position. But the Stone Crabs stranded the tying runs and fell to the Yankees 3-1.

Alex Cobb started and pitched 6 innings, allowing 1 run on 4 hits with 5 strikeouts and 2 walks while being charged with the loss. Austin Hinkle followed with 2 innings and allowed 2 runs on 3 hits with 3 strikeouts. Josh Satow completed the game with 1 no hit inning and striking out 1. DJ Mitchell was the winning pitcher for Tampa.

For more pictures, visit my Game Three photo gallery.

FSL Divisional Series Game One: Charlotte Stone Crabs vs Fort Myers Miracle

Port Charlotte, Florida: The Charlotte Stone Crabs lost an exciting game against the Fort Myers Miracle in game one of the Florida State League South Division Finals on Tuesday night at Charlotte Sports Park. Both clubs combined for fifteen runs and twenty-five hits in the game which saw the Miracle squeak by with a 8-7 win.

Fort Myers scored first in the second inning. Mark Dolenc singled to center for the first hit of the game. Joe Benson followed with double to left, moving Dolenc to third. Then Deibinson Romero drove home the run with a ground ball to short, giving the Miracle a 1-0 lead.

The Stone Crabs took the lead in the fourth inning. Greg Sexton singled to center then advanced to third on a double by Henry Wrigley. Shawn Williams drew a walk to load the bases. Drew Anderson drew a bases loaded walk to push across Sexton to tie the ball game. Then Matt Sweeney followed with a ground ball to first that scored Wrigley and gave the Stone Crabs a 2-1 lead.

Fort Myers struck for five more runs in the fifth inning with the help of two home runs in the inning. Joe Benson led off the inning with a home run to tie the game. Deibinson Romero followed with a walk. Chris Cates reached on a throwing error which allowed Romero to score and give the Miracle the lead. Ben Revere then drew a walk. Estarlin De Los Santos followed with the second home run of the inning, a three run blast to give the Miracle a 6-2 lead.

The Stone Crabs picked up another run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Emeel Salem singled to center to lead off the inning and then advanced to second on a single by Henry Wrigley. Shawn Williams followed with an RBI single to score Salem and pull Charlotte to within three runs of the lead, 6-3.

The Miracle recorded two more runs in the sixth inning. Deibinson Romero singled to left to lead off. Romero later advanced to third on a single by Ben Revere. Estarlin De Los Santos followed with a single to left in which both Romero and De Los Santos scored on a throwing error to increase the Miracle lead to 8-3.

The Stone Crabs rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning. Matt Sweeney drew a walk to lead off the inning. Emeel Salem singled on a line drive to center. Nevin Ashley then followed with a walk to load the bases with two outs. Greg Sexton drove home two runs with a single to center, scoring Sweeney and Salem. Henry Wrigley drove home Ashley with an RBI single to right. Shawn Williams followed with an RBI single to score Sexton for the fourth run of the inning. But the Charlotte rally fell short by a run and the Stone Crabs lost to the Miracle 8-7.

Jeremy Hall suffered the loss, allowing 6 runs (5 earned) on 5 hits with a strikeout and 3 walks in 4 1/3 innings. Jesse Darcy followed with 1 2/3 innings and allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits with 2 strikeouts. Austin Hinkle pitched 2/3 of an inning and allowed 1 hit and 2 walks. Tommy Rafferty threw the final 2 1/3 innings and allowed no runs on 2 hits with a strikeout and a walk. David Bromberg was the winning pitcher for Fort Myers.

For more pictures, visit my Game One photo page.

Lion Country Safari

Loxahatchee, Florida: Opened in 1967, Lion Country Safari is a 500 acre animal park consisting of a five mile drive-through safari and a walk-through safari featuring over 800 animals. The safari was part of a six park venture by a group of entrepreneurs from South Africa and Great Britain. The Lion Country Safari in Florida is the only location still in operation and in 2009 was voted the third best zoo in America by USA Travel Guide.

Upon arrival to Lion Country Safari, you begin the five mile drive-through safari. The safari is broken into seven animal habitats representing different regions of the wild. The habitats as you approach them are:

Las Pampas- the grassland habitat featuring the Brazilian Tapir, Aldabra Tortoise, Llama, Rhea, Florida Brown Pelican and Fallow Deer.

Ruaha National Park-unspoiled wilderness featuring Greater Kudu, Impala and Aoudad.

Kalahari Bushveldt- a dry plateau featuring Nile Lechwe and Gemsbok.

Gir Forest- home to the Asiatic Water Buffalo, Nilgai, Blackbuck and Kulan.

Gorongosa Reserve- the preserve that the African Lions call home.

Serengeti Plains- the wide open plains that provide a grazing grounds for the African Elephant, Eland, Ostrich, Wildebeest, Waterbuck and Mouflon.

Hwange National Park- featuring the White Rhino, Zebra, Chimpanzee, White-Handed Gibbons and Giraffes.

Once you complete the drive-through safari, it is time to visit the walk-though portion of the park. This portion of the park is packed with animals, rides, entertainment, food and gifts. Guests can take part in several animal encounters including feeding lorikeets and giraffes along with a petting zoo. There are several rides including a Ferris wheel, paddleboats and a splash park. The staff also provides animal demonstrations and there are animal shows scheduled throughout. All of the rides and entertainment are included with the regular admission.

You are welcomed to reboard your car and tour the drive-through safari as many times as you wish through-out the day. The animals are more active in the morning but each drive through the safari will provide a different perspective.

You can see more pictures from our visit on my Lion Country Safari photo page.

Charlotte Stone Crabs vs Sarasota Reds

Port Charlotte, Florida: The Charlotte Stone Crabs dropped the regular season finale to the Sarasota Reds 4-0 on Sunday evening at Charlotte Sports Park. With the loss, the Stone Crabs finished their inaugural season with an overall record of 71-66 and are headed to the playoffs. The Sarasota Reds also had a milestone of their own as they ended their franchise affiliation with Sarasota and leave the Florida State League on a winning note.

Both clubs endured a scoreless pitchers duel until the fifth inning when Sarasota struck for four runs in the inning. Jordan Wideman got the scoring rally started with a single to center followed by a single by Dave Sappelt. Neftali Soto followed with an RBI double to score Wideman and move Sappelt to third. Alex Buchholz followed with a ground ball to third that scored Sappelt as Greg Sexton’s throw home was errant. Jose Gualdron then drove home two more runs with a triple that gave the Reds the 4-0 lead.

After the big inning, the pitching duel resumed and neither side pushed across another run despite coming close a few times. The Reds closed the door and took the 4-0 win.

The Stone Crabs worked through the bullpen in preparation for the post season as six pitchers saw action on the night. Jake McGee pitched 3 shut-out innings and allowed 2 hits while striking out 4. Kevin Boggan was tagged with the loss, allowing 3 runs (2 earned) on 3 hits in 1 1/3 innings of work. Marquis Fleming threw 1 2/3 innings and allowed a run on 1 hit and recorded 5 strikeouts. Austin Hinkle and Tommy Rafferty followed, both throwing an inning each of no hit baseball, Rafferty struck out 2 of the 3 batters he faced. Josh Satow pitched the final inning, not a allowing a run on 2 hits with a strikeout. Matt Fairel was the winning pitcher for Sarasota, throwing an 8 inning shut-out.

For more photos, visit my Stone Crabs/Reds game page.

Charlotte Stone Crabs vs Sarasota Reds

Port Charlotte, Florida: The Charlotte Stone Crabs fell to the Sarasota Reds 4-1 on Saturday night at Charlotte Sports Park. The game remained scoreless until the fourth inning when Sarasota pushed across two runs. Justin Reed and Alex Buchholz led off the inning with back to back singles. Then Neftali Soto reached on an error by Matt Hall on a misplayed double play ball that loaded the bases for Sarasota. Denis Phipps singled to right to score Reed. Then Kyle Day hit a sac fly to center to score Buchholz and give the Reds a 2-0 lead.

Sarasota added to their lead in the top of the sixth inning. Alex Buchholz led of the inning by drawing a walk. Denis Phipps followed with a two run home run to increase the Sarasota lead 4-0.

The Stone Crabs scored their only run of the night in the eighth inning. Emeel Salem singled to short to lead off the inning. John Matulia later followed with a single to right, moving Salem to second. Shawn Williams drew a walk to load the bases. Greg Sexton followed by also drawing a two out bases loaded walk that score Salem. The Stone Crabs left them loaded as Matt Sweeney grounded out to end the inning and the Stone Crabs fell to the Reds 4-1.

Mitch Talbot pitched 3 scoreless innings in a rehab appearance, allowing 1 hit while striking out 6. Brian Flores suffered the loss, giving up 4 runs (3 earned) on 4 hits with 4 strikeouts and a walk in 3 innings pitched. Jesse Darcy pitched 2 innings and allowed 2 hits and struck out 2. Kevin Boggan pitched a no-hit ninth inning with a strikeout. Curtis Partch was the winning pitcher for Sarasota.

For more photos, visit my Stone Crabs/Reds photo page.