Site Logo

Cascade grad Souza Jr. nearly hits for the cycle in Rays’ win

Published 1:30 am Thursday, April 20, 2017

Cascade grad Souza Jr. nearly hits for the cycle in Rays’ win
1/2
Cascade grad Souza Jr. nearly hits for the cycle in Rays’ win
Tampa Bay outfielder Steven Souza Jr. (right) hugs teammate Logan Morrison after Souza Jr. hit a home run off Detroit’s’ Warwick Saupold in the eighth inning of Thursday’s game in St. Petersburg, Florida. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Associated Press

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Steven Souza Jr. came within a single of hitting for the cycle, ex-Mariner Erasmo Ramirez and two relievers combined on a five-hitter, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat Detroit 8-1 Thursday for a three-game sweep of the Tigers.

Souza, a graduate of Cascade High School in Everett, doubled in the first, hit a two-run triple in the second and added a solo homer in the eighth.

Ramirez (2-0) allowed one run and two hits in five innings with five strikeouts and no walks. In the rotation because Jake Odorizzi strained his left hamstring, Ramirez had not started since April 16 last year.

Souza doubled on a fly ball that right fielder Tyler Collins appeared to lose. He scored when Dixon Machado, filling in for injured shortstop Jose Iglesias, made an errant throw after fielding Rickie Weeks’ grounder.

Souza tripled in the second on an opposite-field flare that bounced past Collins near the right-field line, then scored on Kevin Kiermaier’s single for a 4-1 lead.

You Might Like