Rogers throws six strong, lineup lights up Fort Myers 

Fort Myers, FL – All nine Blue Jays starters tallied a hit, while Grant Rogers fired six innings of one-run ball to lead Dunedin to an 8-3 victory over Fort Myers on Thursday night at Hammond Stadium. The victory snaps a 3-game losing streak and improves the Jays’ record to 13-17.

Dunedin opened the scoring in the second, as Manuel Beltre scored Edward Duran on an RBI fielders’ choice. One batter later, Bryce Arnold pushed in Beltre and Cristian Feliz thanks to a flubbed ground ball by Mussels’ first baseman Rafael Cruz.

The lead swelled to 5-0 in the third, as Yhoangel Aponte doubled to score Victor Arias, and Beltre picked up an RBI single.

The Blue Jays got back to it in the top of the fifth. After Duran started the frame with a hit by pitch, Beltre collected his third RBI of the game on a double to make it 6-0. With two outs, Dunedin ran a double steal that sent Alexis Hernandez to second and allowed Beltre to steal home plate to balloon the lead to seven.

On the other side of the scorecard, Rogers kept the Mighty Mussels quiet until the bottom of the fifth, when Cruz drove in Payton Eeles on an RBI single. Rogers limited the damage to just one by stranding runners on second and third to end the inning.

The six-foot, seven-inch righty capped off his outing with a scoreless sixth, finishing the evening with six strikeouts to one walk.

Both teams tallied a run in the seventh inning, as Arnold picked up an RBI single, but Fort Myers got the run back with Issac Pena’s sacrifice fly to trim the lead to 8-2.

The Mussels drew a run closer in the eighth with another sac fly, but the scoring stopped there, as JJ Sanchez ended the contest with a scoreless ninth inning.

Dunedin will have an opportunity to even the series at two games apiece Friday night in Fort Myers, with first pitch set for 7:05.