Sando Starts Strong, But Tortugas Fall in Ten

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla--Nick Sando spun 5.0 excellent innings in his first career start, but the Palm Beach Cardinals rode a tenth-inning bases-loaded double to a 6-4 victory over ther Daytona Tortugas on Father's Day Sunday at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

Palm Beach (35-28) rallied to split the series, overcoming four errors to defeat Daytona (30-33), staying within one game of Jupiter in the Florida State League East Division race.

In the bottom of the first, Daytona scored right away in bizarre fashion. Sammy Stafura led off with a line drive to center, but the ball was dropped and rolled to the wall. Stafura advanced to third, but then scored when the throw back into the infield was off-line, putting Daytona in front 1-0.

Sando was locked in early on for Daytona. The left-hander allowed a leadoff hit to begin the game, but erased that runner on a double play, as he faced the minimum through three scoreless innings.

However, he got in trouble with one out in the fourth as Travis Honeyman doubled, went to third on a single, and scored on a hit by Chase Davis. A double steal put two men in scoring position with one out, but Sando retired the next two men to keep the score tied at one.

The Tortugas, meanwhile, were mostly stifled by Palm Beach's Jason Savacool. Johnny Ascanio led off the third with a double and a one-out walk put two runners on, but the Tortugas couldn't advance him any further. That was the only runner Daytona advanced past first in the remainder of Savacool's 5.0 innings on the hill.

Sando, meanwhile, finished 5.0 innings of his own by spinning a 1-2-3 fifth, finishing the night with back-to-back strikouts. The southpaw tied his career-best with the 5.0 frames, allowing one run on four hits with no walks and three strikeouts, needing just 50 pitches in his outing.

In the sixth, Anyer Laureano came on and was electric, striking out in a 1-2-3 inning. However, he walked the first two men in the seventh. After a sacrifice bunt moved them both over, Brayden Jobert struck out, but a dropped third strike scored the go-ahead run to put Palm Beach up 2-1.

Daytona, though, rallied right back. A leadoff single by Connor Burns was followed by two walks to load the bases with one out. Stafura came up and hit a chopper to short. The first out was recorded at second, but an error at first allowed the ball to get away, scoring two unearned runs to put Daytona ahead 3-2.

Palm Beach, though, immediately tied the game back up. Cody Adcock allowed a leadoff double to Honeyman, who went to third on a lineout to right. A walk put runners on the corners with one out for Sammy Hernandez, who rolled a fielder's choice to short that was enough to score Honeyman, tying the game.

Adcock settled down with a 1-2-3 ninth, though Daytona mustered nothing in the eighth and ninth against Luis Gastelum (4-1), sending the game to extra innings.

In the tenth, Adcock recorded the first out, but a bloop to right by Honeyman put runners on second and third. After a bouncer to the mound, an intentional walk to Davis loaded the bases for Hernandez, who roped a three-run double to left-center, putting Palm Beach up 6-3.

Daytona got one back in the bottom of the tenth as Ascanio reached on an infield single with another error scoring a run to close the gap to 6-4. Zach Showalter, though, retired the next three to end the game.

Daytona will have Monday off before hitting the road to Dunedin on Tuesday to open a six-game series with the Dunedin Blue Jays. First pitch from TD Ballpark in Dunedin is set for 6:30 with pregame coverage on the Tortugas Radio Network beginning at 6:15 with the Voice of the Tortugas, Brennan Mense.