TARPONS, FLYING TIGERS SET FOR SERIES OPENER IN LAKELAND

LAKELAND, Fla. (Interstat) — The slumping Tampa Tarpons visit the first-place Lakeland Flying Tigers on Tuesday night at Joker Marchant Stadium, looking to reverse recent history against their in-state rivals.

The Flying Tigers (10-5) have dominated the season series, sweeping a three-game set in Tampa from April 3-5 by a combined score of 38-17. The Tarpons (5-10) enter on a three-game skid, including a 6-4 loss to Bradenton on Sunday.

A player to watch for Tampa is catcher Gregory Bozzo, who is coming off a powerful performance. In Sunday’s loss, he went 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs. However, his role has been multifaceted; he also pitched a third of an inning in relief in Lakeland’s 13-4 win over Tampa on April 4.

Lakeland will counter with a key arm in reliever Jatnk Diaz. The right-hander has been effective lately, tossing three scoreless innings with three hits allowed and one strikeout in a loss at Fort Myers on Sunday. In his last appearance against Tampa on April 4, he worked two innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs while earning the win in the 13-4 victory.

The Flying Tigers are looking to bounce back from a 5-0 shutout loss at Fort Myers on Sunday, which snapped a two-game win streak. Prior to that, their pitching had been strong, allowing just four total runs in the previous two contests.

For Tampa, aside from Bozzo’s bat, pitchers Jose Martinez (2 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 K) and Jose Ledesma (1 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 K) provided solid relief in the most recent loss.

The weather forecast for first pitch calls for cloudy skies and 75 degrees.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, the projected final score is Lakeland 5, Tampa 3.

The game is the first of a six-game series between the clubs in Lakeland this week.