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Eeles Grand Slam Sinks Tarpons, Claims Series for Mussels

June 13, 2024

TAMPA, Fla. (June 8, 2024) – Payton Eeles flipped Saturday’s game upside down, demolishing a grand slam that highlighted a seven-run inning that spurred the Mighty Mussels to an 8-5 win over the Tampa Tarpons at Steinbrenner Field. Fort Myers (28-28) entered the inning trailing 4-1, with Tampa (20-36) pitching

TAMPA, Fla. (June 8, 2024) – Payton Eeles flipped Saturday’s game upside down, demolishing a grand slam that highlighted a seven-run inning that spurred the Mighty Mussels to an 8-5 win over the Tampa Tarpons at Steinbrenner Field.

Fort Myers (28-28) entered the inning trailing 4-1, with Tampa (20-36) pitching having retired 16 out of the last 17 batters. Rixon Wingrove led off the inning with a single before Montana Semmel walked the next two batters. With the bases loaded and no one out, Ryan McCarthy shot a single into left to cut the deficit to 4-3.

After another walk loaded the bases, Eeles turned on an 0-1 pitch, launching it over the right field bleachers for a grand slam to put Fort Myers on top 7-4. The ball left Eeles’ bat at 105.9 mph and traveled 383 feet, approximately 50 feet beyond the right field fence. After two more walks, Maddux Houghton drove in another run with an infield single to cap the inning at 8-4.

Christopher Familia added a solo homer in the bottom of the inning, but Xander Hamilton tossed two scoreless frames to notch the save.

Mussels’ lefty Ross Dunn (1-0) logged four innings in relief to get the win, allowing just one run on four hits while fanning three.

Eeles finished the night 2-for-5 with two runs scored. He tripled to begin the game and came around to score on a Walker Jenkins ground out. Tampa responded with four unanswered runs against starting pitcher Charlee Soto before Fort Myers took the lead in the seventh.

The Mussels will try and finish the week 5-1 at 12 p.m. on Sunday. RHP Spencer Bengard (2-0, 1.19) is scheduled to start for Fort Myers, opposite RHP Cade Smith (2-4, 2.96) of Tampa. Coverage begins at 11:45 a.m. on the Mighty Mussels Baseball Network.