Tortugas Hit Three Homers, But Late Bradenton Rally Leads to 8-7 Loss

BRADENTON, Fla—Three home runs staked the Daytona Tortugas to a 5-1 lead, but the Bradenton Marauders scored twice in the ninth and three more times in the tenth to swipe a walk-off, 8-7 victory on Sunday afternoon at LECOM Park.

Daytona (8-7) won four of six in the series, though will leave Bradenton (3-12) with a sour taste after the Tortugas were also one out away from victory in both of their losses in the series.

Daytona got off to a fast start in the top of the first as Johnny Ascanio jumped on a 1-1 fastball from Bradenton starter Khristian Curtis and blasted onto the party deck beyond the wall in right-center for a solo home run. Ascanio’s third home run of the season staked the Tortugas to an early 1-0 lead.

Jose Franco took the hill for Daytona and gave up a one-out hit in the first, but retired the next two hitters to end the frame before locking in the second, striking out the side to give him four consecutive strikeouts.

The third inning, though, was different as Juan Jerez led off with a double, though he was erased when Alfredo Duno threw him out attempting to steal third. However, Franco would issue two walks to put two on with two outs for Javier Rivas. Rivas hit a foul pop-up behind home plate, but Daytona could not catch it, extending the at-bat. Rivas then blasted a ground-rule double to deep right-center that brought home a run to tie the game.

The Tortugas would answer back in the fourth, though. Curtis retired the first two batters of the inning, but Duno legged out a slow dribbler to third for an infield single. Ariel Almonte then stepped in and jumped on the first pitch he saw, rifling a no-doubt two-run home run to right to put Daytona in front 3-1 on his third round-tripper of the season.

Franco departed after 3.0 innings for Anyer Laureano, who worked around a two-out triple in the fourth, striking out the other three batters in the inning. He followed that up with a 1-2-3 fifth, picking up a strikeout to end his outing after 2.0 scoreless innings with one hit allowed and four strikeouts, putting him in line for the win.

He got a parting gift in the top of the sixth as Dominic Pitelli reached on an error ahead of Alfredo Duno, who crushed a ball just over the left field wall for a two-run home run, his first as a Tortuga. Thie third big fly of the afternoon put Daytona in front 5-1.

Nick Sando came on in the sixth and was rudely greeted by Rivas, who blasted Sando’s first pitch over the wall in deep left-center for a solo home run. A walk and bloop single followed, but Esmerlyn Valdez was caught between second and third and tagged out for the first out. Sando then settled down and retired the next two men to end the inning with the score now 5-2, Daytona.

After a scoreless seventh, Sando ran into more trouble as a hit batter and a single began the inning, but he then induced a double play. However, the left-hander uncorked a wild pitch to score Rivas, closing the gap to 5-3.

Sando departed after 3.0 innings for Gabe Starks, who in the ninth quickly recorded a pair of foulouts. However, after a walk, Omar Alfonzo struck an RBI double to right-center and Rivas pulled a two-bagger just inside the third base line for another double, tying the game at five apiece to send the game beyond regulation.

Playing extra innings for the third time in five days, Daytona jumped in front right away as pinch-hitter Ricardo Cabrera recorded his tenth hit of the series, an RBI single to score automatic runner Trey Faltine. After a sacrifice bunt, Ascanio was plunked and Pitelli walked to load the bases for Duno, who hit a towering drive to left that died on the warning track for a sacrifice fly to score Cabrera. Almonte then walked to re-load the bases, but a full-count strikeout ended the inning with Daytona up 7-5.

Starks returned for the bottom of the tenth and immediately walked Shalin Polanco before Garret Forrester blasted a double off the center-field wall to score Valdez, the automatic runner. However, Faltine and Ascanio combined to cut down Polanco at the plate, preventing the tying run from scoring. Starks then picked up a strikeout to again have Daytona one out from victory. Jerez, though, doubled to right-center to tie the game, then Jesus Castillo sliced a line drive out of the reach of Almonte in left to bring home Jerez with the game-winner.

The Tortugas will have Monday off before returning back to Jackie Robinson Ballpark on Tuesday evening to begin a six-game series against the St. Lucie Mets. It will be our second Silver Sluggers and Breast Cancer Awareness Night, honoring our local breast cancer survivors and fighters. It will also be Taco Tuesday with $3 taco specials all night. First pitch on Tuesday is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. with gates opening at 5:30. Pregame coverage on the Tortugas Radio network with Brennan Mense begins at 6:20 p.m.