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Mussels’ Bats Explode in 10-6 Comeback Win to Sweep Clearwater

July 22, 2024

CLEARWATER, Fla. (July 21, 2024) – Rixon Wingrove and Carlos Aguiar led a powerful offensive performance Sunday, as the Mighty Mussels swept the Clearwater Threshers with a 10-6 comeback win at BayCare Ballpark. The middle third of the lineup - Wingrove, Aguiar and Matthew Clayton combined to go 7-for-11 (.636/.689/1.545)

CLEARWATER, Fla. (July 21, 2024) – Rixon Wingrove and Carlos Aguiar led a powerful offensive performance Sunday, as the Mighty Mussels swept the Clearwater Threshers with a 10-6 comeback win at BayCare Ballpark.

The middle third of the lineup - Wingrove, Aguiar and Matthew Clayton combined to go 7-for-11 (.636/.689/1.545) with four walks, two doubles, a triple, two home runs, eight RBI and seven runs scored, good for an OPS of 2.234. Wingrove reached base five times, finishing a single away from the cycle.

Aguiar, who drove in five runs Sunday, got the scoring going in the top of the second. After a walk and an error put two men on, Aguiar pummeled a three-run homer out to right field to give the Mussels a 3-0 lead.

Still up by that margin in the top of the fourth, Wingrove drilled a ball to the gap and legged out a triple. After a walk put men at the corners, Aguiar delivered a sacrifice fly to left to extend the lead to 4-0.

Trailing by four, the Threshers broke out in a big way in the bottom of the third. TJayy Walton ripped a two-run home run to left center before Dakota Kotowski demolished a 410-foot three-run shot to left to quickly give Clearwater a 5-4 lead.

The Threshers tacked on an insurance run in the fifth on a solo home run by rehabber Rodolfo Castro to make it 6-4.

After a 54-minute lightning delay, Fort Myers seized the momentum right back. Wingrove cranked a solo home run in the seventh to cut the margin to 6-5.

Still down by that total in the eighth, Maddux Houghton led off the eight with a single to right. With one out, Houghton stole second before Walker Jenkins grounded an RBI single up the middle to tie the score at 6-6. The next batter was Byron Chourio, who pulled a single into right to score Jenkins and give Fort Myers a 7-6 lead.

With two outs and Chourio at second, Wingrove popped a sun-aided double into right to make it 8-6. Clayton was next and lashed an RBI double into the right field corner to tack on a run and stretch the lead to 9-6. Aguiar followed with a sharp RBI single to right to cap the scoring at 10-6.

Fort Myers’ relievers Wilker Reyes (3-1) and Ben Ethridge completed the sweep with a combined four scoreless innings in relief.

The Mighty Mussels’ win extends their lead in the FSL West to 2.5 games over the Lakeland Flying Tigers.

The Mighty Mussels will carry a three-game winning streak into a six-game series with the Dunedin Blue Jays, which gets going at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at TD Ballpark. Coverage begins at 6:15 p.m. on the Mighty Mussels Baseball Network.