Tortugas Quieted in Sunday Evening Setback

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla—The Daytona Tortugas jumped out to an early lead, but the offense went quiet the rest of the way as the Jupiter Hammerheads took a 3-1 victory in the series finale on Sunday evening at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

Jupiter (5-4, 41-34) snapped Daytona’s (4-4, 35-39) three-game winning streak as the two sides split the first six games of the Tortugas’ nine-game homestand.

Daytona took the lead in the bottom of the first. Yerlin Confidan blasted the first pitch from Jake Brooks into right-center for a leadoff double. A flyout moved him to third for Ricardo Cabrera, who lifted a flyball to shallow left that was dropped, scoring Confidan to give Daytona a 1-0 lead.

With the lead, Daytona starter Nick Payero masterfully dodged threats. He worked around two hits in the second, dodged doubles in the first and third, and navigated a two-out triple in the fourth. All told, Payero allowed five hits, but no runs and no walks while striking out five over 4.0 scoreless innings.

Meanwhile, Daytona had chances to add to the lead as an error put a runner at second with no outs in the third, while Ariel Almonte doubled to lead off the fourth. However, Brooks escaped both innings without a run.

Anyer Laureano entered for Daytona and worked a 1-2-3 fifth to begin his outing, but he ran into trouble in the sixth. Ryan Ignoffo led off the inning with a double to left, then came home when a sinking liner to center skipped all the way to the wall and Brock Vradenburg circled the bases for an inside-the-park homer, putting Jupiter up 2-1 after six innings.

Brooks (7-1) departed after 6.0 innings of one-run ball for Collin Lowe, who allowed a pair of two-out singles in the seventh to put two on and two outs for Confidan. Against new pitcher Justin Storm, Confidan lifted a fly ball to deep left-center, but it was run down just shy of the wall.

In the top of the eighth, Ignoffo drew a leadoff walk, then came all the way home on an errant pickoff throw to stretch the lead to 3-1. The unearned tally was the only blemish for Daytona’s Graham Osman over 3.0 hitless innings of relief.

However, the Tortugas couldn’t answer. Storm threw a 1-2-3 eighth, then gave way to Holt Jones, who allowed a two-out single in the ninth, but nothing more as Jupiter finished the series with a 3-1 win.

Daytona will welcome the St. Lucie Mets tomorrow night for the first of three games at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. Tomorrow will be a special Belly Buster Monday with all-you-can-eat hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn, and Little Caesars Pizza starting at just $17. Gates will open at 5:30 with first pitch will at 6:35 p.m. Pregame coverage on the Tortugas Radio Network, MiLB.tv, and Bally Live with the Voice of the Tortugas, Brennan Mense, beginning at 6:20 p.m.