Soto, Eighth Inning Rally Lead Mussels Past Tigers 6-3

FORT MYERS, Fla. (August 14, 2024) – Charlee Soto spun five shutout innings as the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels extended their second half lead in the FSL West to 4.0 games with a 6-3 win over the Lakeland Flying Tigers on Wednesday night at Hammond Stadium.

Soto threw five shutout innings for the third time in his last four starts and lowered his season ERA to 4.74. He induced 11 swings and misses and topped out at 97.8 mph. Since the start of July, the 18-year-old has allowed just four runs across 23 innings (1.56 ERA) while registering a 23-to-5 strikeout to walk ratio.

Soto worked around a leadoff walk in the first and ended the frame with a pair of strikeouts. In the bottom of the inning, Kyle DeBarge worked a one out walk. Brandon Winokur followed with a walk of his own. After DeBarge took third on a wild pitch, Billy Amick put the Mussels (58-47, 27-13) ahead 1-0 on an RBI groundout.

In the next inning, Daniel Pena worked a leadoff walk. A wild pitch from Lakeland (66-41, 24-18) starter Andrew Sears and an error from shortstop Franyerber Montilla allowed Pena to score and make it 2-0.

Still leading by that score in the fifth, Winokur laced an opposite field double and advanced to third on another Lakeland error. Winokur then scored on a wild pitch on a bang-bang play at the plate to make it 3-0.

Julio Bonilla entered from the bullpen in the sixth and threw a scoreless inning in his return from the IL. He struck out one and stranded a pair of baserunners in his first appearance since July 11.

With two outs in the seventh, John Peck and Montilla were both walked by Tomas Cleto. Andrew Jenkins then connected on a two-run double to make it a 3-2 game.

Dom Johnson led off the eighth with a single and later scored on a groundout to tie the game 3-3.

Fort Myers responded with a two-out rally in the bottom of the inning. Amick crushed a double off the wall in left to put the go-ahead run in scoring position. Khadim Diaw followed with a walk. Pena then put the Mussels ahead 4-3 with an opposite field single. The next batter was Derek Bender, who walked to load the bases. Caden Kendle then worked a full count and connected on a two-run double to make it 6-3.

Juan Mercedes (1-0) recorded the final five outs and struck out three Flying Tigers to earn his first Low-A win of the season.

Mussels pitching held the Flying Tigers to 1-for-13 with RISP and just 2-for-20 with RISP through the first two games of the series.

The Mussels return to action on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. Jose Olivares (2-1, 2.90) starts for Fort Myers, opposite Duque Hebbert (2-1, 6.02) of Lakeland. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. on the Mighty Mussels Baseball Network.