Dunedin Blue Jays beat Tampa Tarpons 6-2: Early thunder, no return fire

Dunedin brought the noise

The Dunedin Blue Jays beat the Tampa Tarpons 6-2 on the road on 2026-09-05, opening with a three-run first inning and leaving Tampa to spend the rest of the game admiring a deficit it never erased.

Three Dunedin home runs did the heavy lifting. A throw home helped keep the early lead intact. And after Tampa answered with two runs in the first, its side of the line score became a long stretch of zeroes. Not much there to interrupt a conversation.

For Pinellas fans watching from St. Pete, Clearwater, Dunedin or the beaches, this was a road result worth claiming from whatever stool had the best view. No need to dress it up as a masterpiece. Dunedin left 11 runners aboard. But when you hit balls over fences and stop the other club from scoring again, the unfinished business gets easier to forgive.

Schreck had more than a bat

RJ Schreck got Dunedin moving with a line-drive homer to right in the first, bringing Josh Rivera home. Jake Bennett followed with a homer to left. Different directions, same unpleasant news for Tampa.

The Tarpons did answer. Anthony Potestio singled to right to score Dax Kilby, and Luis Puello singled to left to bring in Wilberson De Pena.

Then came the part that deserves more than a passing glance: Bear Harrison tried to score on Puello’s hit, and Schreck threw him out at home, with Giaconino Lasaracina completing the play. Schreck had already helped build the lead. Now he was protecting it from left field. Useful fellow to have around when the opening inning starts behaving like a revolving door.

Dunedin came out of that exchange ahead 3-2. Tampa never scored again.

Aldo Gaxiola added a homer to center in the fourth. In the seventh, Blaine Bullard doubled to center to score Raimundo De Los Santos. Bullard was thrown out at third on the relay, so the play came with a receipt, but the run counted all the same.

Dunedin added another run in the eighth to reach the final margin. The early burst got the Blue Jays in front; the later additions kept Tampa from making one swing feel like a rescue plan.

A good result to bring home

Samudio’s line gives the pitching side plenty to talk about: 5.1 innings, no earned runs and seven strikeouts. Parliament also struck out seven for Tampa, but Dunedin’s damage made those punchouts a much less satisfying souvenir.

The Tarpons left 10 runners on base. There were opportunities; there just wasn’t another run. That is the difference between keeping a game interesting and actually changing it.

Whether your next baseball gathering starts with tailgate talk in Dunedin or a screen somewhere in Clearwater, St. Pete or along the beaches, the takeaway is simple: early power, a consequential throw and no scoring response after the first.

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