Aponte’s double lifts Dunedin to 11-inning win

JUPITER, FL – After falling in 12 innings on Thursday, the Blue Jays got redemption on Friday night, as Yhoangel Aponte punched a go-ahead two-RBI double in the top of the 11th to help Dunedin to a 10-8 over Palm Beach in 11 innings at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.

With the victory, Dunedin evens the series at two games apiece and improves to 27-28.

Dunedin tallied a first inning run to open the scoring as Kekai Rios roped an RBI double to score Victor Arias.

The lone run was all starter Fernando Perez needed in the early going, as the Blue Jays No. 24 prospect retired the first nine batters he faced in order.

In the fourth, the Jays scored twice to push the lead to 3-0, courtesy of RBIs from Cristian Feliz and Alexis Hernandez.

In the fifth, Dunedin used three straight doubles to rally. Damiano Palmegiani started with a one-out line drive into the gap, and Manuel Beltre scored him on his two-bagger. Tucker Toman followed the act to drive home Beltre to grow the lead to 5-0.

Palmegiani continued to make an impact later in the game, as the infielder on rehab from AAA-Buffalo lined a solo homer to left to make it 6-0 in the seventh inning.

Perez remained in the game for the seventh, pitching into the seventh for the second time this season. After a strikeout, Perez issued his only walk of the night, and then surrendered back-to-back RBI doubles that got Palm Beach on the board, marking the end of his night after 6.2 innings and seven strikeouts.

Juanmi Vasquez came on out of the Blue Jays bullpen and ended the rally, keeping the score 6-2 Dunedin.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Cardinals restarted their comeback push. Vasquez opened the inning with three consecutive walks. Following a strikeout, Vasquez walked in a run that trimmed the lead to 6-3.

JJ Sanchez took over with the bases loaded, and issued another bases loaded walk to Chase Davis that decreased the lead to 6-4. Palm Beach used a wild pitch and an RBI ground out to knot the game at six. Then, with two outs, Brayden Jobert drove in the go-ahead run on an infield single hit between the mound and first base that made it 7-6 Cardinals.

After the five-run, one-hit rally, Dunedin faced its final three outs in the top of the ninth. However, much like Palm Beach, the Jays manufactured the tying run in unconventional fashion.

Victor Arias opened the inning with a walk, and reached third base on a Palmegiani single. With Bryce Arnold pinch running, Dunedin put on a steal play, which forced a throw into center field that allowed Arias to score from third to tie the game at seven.

Sanchez worked around a walk in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings.

In the 10th, Dunedin regained the lead as Arias was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. The lead was short-lived, as Chase Adkison answered with a lead-off RBI single in the bottom of the inning, scoring Miguel Villarroel from second base to re-tie the game at eight. Sanchez retired the next three batters to get Dunedin to the 11th.

In the 11th, Beltre collected an infield single – his fifth hit of the night ­– to put runners on the corners. With two outs, Aponte came to the plate, and down with to two strikes, belted a ball to the gap, driving in both runners to open a 10-8 lead.

In the bottom half, Bo Bonds entered for the save. Palm Beach eventually loaded the bases, but Bonds induced a fly out and ground out to end the contest.

The series continues Saturday evening at 6:00. Fans can listen to the hometown radio broadcast for free online at https://www.milb.com/dunedin/fans/radio.

BLUE JAYS BRIEFS: Manuel Beltre’s 5-6 effort marks the first five-hit game by a Blue Jay this season, and the fifth in the Florida State League. It’s the first five-hit game by a D-Jay since July 1, 2023 (Jeffrey Wehler)... Dunedin is now 3-4 in extra innings…. Perez has pitched six innings or more in three straight starts...