COLUMBUS, Ohio (www.jaxsportsday.com)– Home runs from Charles Leblanc, Austin Allen and Dane Myers were not enough for the Jumbo Shrimp on Friday, as Jacksonville’s rally fell short in a 7-6 loss to the Columbus Clippers at Huntington Park.
The Jumbo Shrimp (59-64, 27-22) entered the bottom of the fourth inning ahead 4-3, but Bryan Lavastida led off with a home run off reliever Richard Rodriguez (2-1) to knot the score. Angel Martinez followed with a double before Chris Roller walked. Brayan Rocchio then blasted a three-run home run to give the Clippers (55-66, 22-25) a 7-4 advantage.
The lead held until the seventh inning, when Myers laced a solo shot off Columbus starter Zach Plesac (5-4) to trim the deficit to two.
Former Jacksonville reliever Nic Enright entered the game for the Clippers with the score still 7-5 in the ninth. Myers led off with a double before scoring on a Griffin Conine single. After a strikeout, Leblanc doubled to put runners on second and third with just one out. However, Enright struck out each of the next two batters to earn his first save.
Jacksonville jumped on the scoreboard first in the second inning. With one out, Allen singled and Myers doubled. A Conine RBI ground out scored the game’s first run before Myers sprinted in on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.
Columbus, though, would tie in the bottom of the second. Lavastida doubled with two outs and then Martinez went yard for the equalizer.
Leblanc’s solo shot led off the third, but in the bottom of the inning, David Fry hit a solo round-tripper to again even the score. Allen’s home run came to begin the fourth to make it 4-3 before the Clippers’ rally in the bottom of the inning.
Jake Walters struck out three in 4.0 innings of relief for the Jumbo Shrimp.
Jacksonville and Columbus meet in Saturday’s 5:05 p.m. first pitch. LHP Enmanuel De Jesus (4-3, 4.98 ERA) starts for the Jumbo Shrimp against Clippers RHP Cal Quantrill (0-2, 16.20 ERA).