TAMPA (620 WDAE) -- Shortstop prospect Willy Adames homered and drove in a pair, but it was a three-run bottom of the tenth that would be the difference, as the Tampa Bay Rays end up on the wrong side of a 7-6 10-inning decision to the New York Yankees Tuesday at Steinbrenner Field.
The Yankees got out to a 2-0 lead thanks to an RBI single in the first off Jake Odorizzi, and a run-scoring single by Ronald Torreyes off Austin Pruitt in the fourth.
Odorizzi worked just two innings, needing 48 pitches to record six outs while allowing the run on five hits and striking out four.
The Rays rallied thanks to back-to-back homers by Adames and Corey Dickerson. For Adames it was his first home run of the spring. For Dickerson, his second.
Adames broke the tie an inning later after Tampa Bay loaded the bases with one away on singles by Shane Peterson and Daniel Robertson sandwiching a walk to Mike McKenry, lifting a sacrifice fly to right that allowed Peterson to score and make it a 3-2 game.
Higashioka turned things around in the seventh, following a single by Rob Refsnyder, blasting a two-run homer to left that turned a one-run deficit into a one-run lead for New York.
Brett then tied the game in the top of the eighth with his first home run of the spring.
Justin Williams scored the go-ahead run after first-baseman Francisco Diaz committed a pair of errors on a ground ball from Joe McCarthy, and Brett added what looked to be an insurance run on a sacrifice fly, but Jeff Walters gave up three runs in the bottom of the tenth on a sacrifice fly by Ruben Tejada, ground-rule double by Jorge Mateo and RBI single by Pete Kozma.
The Rays (6-4-1) head back to Port Charlotte for their only night home game of the spring Wednesday, taking on the Colombian national team. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05, with coverage on WDAE starting at 7:00.
Listen to comments from n=manager Kevin cash, starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi, and outfielder Corey Dickerson below!