Collier's Walk-Off Caps Wild Rally to Split Twinbill

DAYTONA BEACH—The Daytona Tortugas stole game two of a doubleheader on a Cam Collier walk-off single to earn a wild split with the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels on a windy Sunday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. Daytona fell 10-5 in the first contest and took the nightcap 7-6.

Daytona (8-13) rallied from six runs down in the second game to avoid the twinbill sweep and end the homestand on a high note, denying Fort Myers (12-9) their fourth straight victory.

In the first inning of Game 1, Daytona had a shot to take a quick lead against Ft. Myers starter Tomas Cleto. A walk and stolen base put Carlos Jorge in scoring position ahead of a Leo Balcazar single. However, Jorge was thrown out at the plate, keeping the game scoreless.

In the second, Ft. Myers got the hit parade started. A one-out triple by Rubel Cespedes and single by Dylan Neuse put the Mighty Mussels on the board.

An inning later, Ft. Myers put together a much bigger rally. The Mighty Mussels strung together five hits which netted four runs. Andrew Cossetti had the biggest knock, a two-run that put Ft. Myers ahead 5-0.

Daytona got a run back in the bottom of the third as Collier knocked a low line drive that snuck around the left-field foul pole for his first home run of the season, trimming the deficit to 5-1.

Game 1 may not have gone the best, but @Cam_Collier16 laces HR #1 on the season! pic.twitter.com/SwR1eoiRiS

— Daytona Tortugas (@daytonatortugas) April 30, 2023

However, Ft. Myers answered back as soon as possible, as Alex Sayre led off the fourth with a solo homer on the first pitch of the inning, pushing the lead back to five runs for the Mighty Mussels.

The Tortugas then loaded the bases with one out against Cleto. A groundout from Victor Acosta brought in a run before Cleto committed an error to allow a second run to score. That ended his day as Wilker Reyes came on and ended the threat as the score narrowed to 6-3.

Ft. Myers, though, stayed relentless, scoring two more runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth to reach double digits in the contest. Daytona answered with a two-run double from Michel Triana to trim the score to 10-5 in the sixth, which proved to be the final score of Game 1.

In game two, the Mighty Mussels threatened to jump ahead right off the bat, starting the game with consecutive singles. However, Kevin Abel locked in striking out the last three batters of the inning. In the second, he followed that up by striking out the side, giving him six consecutive strikeouts.

In the third, though, Ft. Myers scored first. Abel’s strikeout string ended with a leadoff walk to Maddux Houghton, who then went to second on a single. After a roller back to the mound moved both runners over, Abel picked up a strikeout. However, a wild pitch to the next hitter brought home Houghton to make it 1-0.

The score stayed that way until the fifth, when Fort Myers erupted. The Mighty Mussels hit for the cycle as a team that inning, with an RBI triple from Carlos Aguiar and a two-run homer from Mikey Perez being the big hits in a five-run frame to put the Mighty Mussels ahead 6-0.

Daytona appeared to be down and out, especially after leaving the bases loaded in the fifth, but Jorge crushed his second home run of the season 418 feet to right to put Daytona on the board. Following a second scoreless inning from Jacob Heatherly (1-1), who struck out four over those frames, the Tortugas roared to life in the seventh.

Two walks and a single loaded the bases for Malvin Valdez, who drew a walk to bring in the first run. Following a pitching change and a strikeout, Jorge looped a single to right to cut the deficit to 6-3. Balcazar followed by ripping a two-run double to right-center to put the tying and winning runs in scoring position with one out.

Following a strikeout, it all came down to Collier. With the Tortugas down to their final strike, though, Collier came through with a single to right, scoring Jorge and Balcazar to cap off an incredible six-run comeback with a 7-6 win to split the twinbill.

A look at how @Cam_Collier16 ended it! pic.twitter.com/XSfN9jpcs4

— Daytona Tortugas (@daytonatortugas) April 30, 2023

The Tortugas will have Monday off before hitting the road to take on the Palm Beach Cardinals, with a six-game series beginning at 5:00 on Tuesday evening. Starters for both teams are still to be announced. Pregame on the Tortugas Radio Network and Bally Live with the Voice of the Tortugas Brennan Mense at 4:45 from at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter.

Daytona Tortugas single-game tickets and ticket packages are on sale now at daytonatortugas.com, (386) 257-3172, or the box office at 110 East Orange Ave.

ABOUT THE DAYTONA TORTUGAS

The Daytona Tortugas are the Single-A Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds and a member of Minor League Baseball’s Florida State League. The Tortugas play at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in downtown Daytona Beach, Fla. Jackie Robinson Ballpark also plays host to Bethune-Cookman University, the Jackie Robinson Ballpark Museum, and many community events and initiatives of all sizes throughout the year.