Third inning homer derails Daytona in series finale

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Tortugas pitching staff struck out 10-or-more hitters in every game of the series, but it was one offering that did them in on Sunday evening. CF Tanner Murphy’s two-run blast in the third proved to be the difference as the St. Lucie Mets managed a 2-1 win over Daytona in front of 876 fans at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

RHP Carson Rudd (4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 SO) retired the first seven batters he faced, striking out five of them. After a single from 1B José Colina (1-2, R, BB) and a ground out that advanced him to second, Murphy stepped in and managed to get his hands in on a fastball off the plate inside. The University of North Florida alum’s shot sailed onto the roof of the batting cages beyond the left-field fence for a two-run homer to put St. Lucie (8-4) ahead, 2-0.

That would be the last time the Mets would score on the evening. However, the two tallies were enough to hold up over the final six-plus frames.

LHP Cam Opp (5.0 IP, 4 H, BB, 2 SO) —who collected the win for St. Lucie in relief on Tuesday — hoisted five shutout innings before handing the ball to RHP Luis Moreno (4.0 IP, 3 H, R, ER, 6 SO).

CF Allan Cerda (1-4, R, HR, RBI, 2 SO) touched the 21-year-old up for a line-drive home run that landed in front of the manual scoreboard in left for a solo home run in the sixth, pulling the Tortugas (6-6) within a run, 2-1.

Daytona rallied against Moreno again in the eighth, as the first two batters reached on a hit-by-pitch of 3B Debby Santana (1-2) and a single from 2B Tyler Callihan (1-4).

After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third with one out, a ground ball to the pitcher resulted in the tying run being tossed out at the plate. Cerda would strike out swinging to end the threat.

In the ninth, the ‘Tugas put the tying run aboard on a two-out infield single from RF Danny Lantigua (2-4, 2B, 2 SO), but Moreno recorded a strikeout looking to end the contest and seal his first career save.

Despite striking out six in his first career start, Rudd suffered his second defeat of the series and the season. In all, he, RHP Juan Abril (2.0 IP, BB, SO), RHP Ricky Karcher (1.0 IP, 3 SO), and RHP Vin Timpanelli (2.0 IP, BB, 3 SO) combined to strikeout 13 more St. Lucie hitters in a second-consecutive three-hitter.

Following the league-wide off day on Monday, The Tortugas return to The Jack for another six-game homestand against the Jupiter Hammerheads, Low-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. It will be a Breast Cancer Awareness Night presented by Radiology Associates Imaging, as Daytona players and coaches will don special pink-tinted uniforms to mark the occasion. The best club for fans 60-and-over returns with the inaugural Silver Sluggers Night presented by Conviva Cares Solutions of the campaign. Last, but not least, it will be a Taco Tuesday in partnership with Jimmy Hula’s, featuring $2 tacos on sale throughout the night. Gates open at 6 p.m. with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

The Tortugas are slated to hand the ball to RHP Carson Spiers (0-0, 0.84) in the lid-lifter. Jupiter is projected to counter with RHP Eury Perez (1-0, 1.13), the Marlins’ No. 25 prospect per MLB Pipeline.

Season ticket, multi-game plans, group packages, and more are currently available and can be purchased online at www.daytonatortugas.com or by calling the Tortugas’ Ticket Office at (386) 257-3172.
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ABOUT THE DAYTONA TORTUGAS*
The Daytona Tortugas are the Low-A Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds and a member of Minor League Baseball’s Low-A Southeast. The Tortugas play at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in downtown Daytona Beach. Jackie Robinson Ballpark also plays host to Bethune-Cookman University, the Jackie Robinson Ballpark Museum, and many community events and initiatives of all sizes throughout the year.