Cabrera’s Four Hits, Burns’ Four RBIs, Dominant Bullpen Lead 10-3 Win

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla—Ricardo Cabrera stroked four hits, Connor Burns drove in four runs, and two relievers set down the final 19 batters of the game as the Daytona Tortugas ran away from the St. Lucie Mets for a 10-3 victory on Friday night at Clover Park.

Daytona (25-30) scored double-digit runs for the third time this season as they evened the series with St. Lucie (19-36) at two games apiece.

In the top of the first, Daytona scored right away. Cabrera singled on the first pitch of the game from Franklin Gomez then stole second. With one out, Cabrera took off for third as Carter Graham ripped a sharp single to left. The head start allowed Cabrera to cross the plate on the hit, giving Daytona a 1-0 lead.

Daytona starter Adam Serwinowski faced the minimum in the first thanks to a double play that erased a one-out walk. However, St. Lucie rallied in the second as a leadoff walk was followed by a single. Willy Fanas then lined an RBI double to tie the game at one. A second walk loaded the bases with one out before Kevin Villavicencio lifted a fly ball to right that was plenty deep to score a second run. However, the runner at second, Fanas, was ruled to have left early on appeal, negating the run and keeping it 1-1.

Daytona then immediately regained the lead in the third. Johnny Ascanio and Cabrera led off with singles. After a passed ball moved them both into scoring position, Burns hit a chopper to second and Ascanio beat an off-line throw home to put Daytona up 2-1.

St. Lucie, though, loaded the bases on three straight one-out walks in the third. After a strikeout, Serwinowski was a strike away from escaping the inning, but A.J. Ewing rolled a two-run single to left to give the Mets a 3-2 lead, chasing the left-hander for Dylan Simmons, who induced a groundout to end the inning.

The Tortugas then took control right away. Two walks and an error loaded the bases for Burns, who ripped a three-run double into the gap in left-center, clearing the bases to put Daytona ahead 5-3. Burns finished with a career high-tying four RBI.

Daytona added on single tallies in the fifth against Cristofer Gomez as a sacrifice fly by Diego Omana drove home Ariel Almonte, then Esmith Pineda drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth, stretching the lead to 7-3.

With the four-run advantage, Simmons (3-2) went seven-up and seven-down with a strikeout, working 2.1 perfect innings to put himself in line for a victory before passing the baton to Nestor Lorant, who struck out all three batters he faced in the sixth.

In the seventh, Ascanio lined a two-out double in front of Cabrera, who stepped in against Nick Bautista and lined his fourth hit of the night, a single to center, to score Ascanio to push the lead to five runs.

An inning later, the Tortugas put the finishing touches on the rout as Graham was plunked to lead off the inning, then Almonte connected on a 2-2 offering from Bautista and ripped it 112.6 MPH towards right-center, clearing the deepest part of the yard with his 13^th home run of the season to put Daytona up 10-3.

Lorant did the rest from there as he, like Simmons, did not allow a baserunner. Lorant set down all 12 batters he faced, six by way of strikeout, over 4.0 perfect innings in relief to nail down his third save of the year, bringing home a 10-3 victory for the Tortugas.

The Tortugas will play game five against the St. Lucie Mets on Saturday night. Daytona will throw RHP Ben Brutti (0-2, 3.26) while St. Lucie’s starter is still to be determined. First pitch from Clover Park in Port St. Lucie is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. with pregame coverage on the Tortugas Radio Network and MiLB.tv/Bally Live with Brennan Mense beginning at 5:55 p.m.