Tortugas Walked Off in Ten for Second Straight Night

FT. MYERS, FL—For a second night in a row, the Daytona Tortugas suffered extra-inning heartbreak at the hands of the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels as Ft. Myers walked off 3-2 in ten innings on Friday night at Hammond Stadium.

Ft. Myers (25-27, 59-59) has now taken three of the first four games of the series as Daytona (22-28, 51-64) continued to struggle offensively, having scored just seven runs in the first four games of the series.

In the top of the first inning, Daytona had an opportunity to strike first against Ft. Myers starter John Klein. Victor Acosta reached on an error to begin the game, which was followed by a walk. However, Klein picked up a strikeout before an inning-ending twin killing.

Both pitchers quickly settled in as Mason Pelio allowed only a pair of walks over three hitless innings to start his night. Klein, meanwhile was just as locked in after the first-inning scare.

Over the second through fifth frames, Klein’s only runner allowed was a leadoff hit to Ariel Almonte in the second, which was subsequently erased on a double play.

Pelio, meanwhile, allowed his first hit as a leadoff double in the fourth, which was followed by a pair of walks to load the bases with no outs. However, the right-hander picked up a strikeout and a 6-4-3 double play to elude the threat with no damage, keeping the game scoreless.

After Klein struck out the side in the fifth, Pelio returned in the fifth and was immediately the victim of a play where Gregory Duran reached on an infield single, but proceeded to circle the bases as Daytona committed three errors on the tail end of the play, turning the infield hit into a Little League homer that put Ft. Myers ahead 1-0.

Klein, meanwhile, finally wavered in the sixth, walking a pair, but he picked up a strikeout, his ninth of the game, to finish off 6.0 innings of one-hit ball, departing with a one-run advantage.

In the seventh, Bethune Cookman alum Noah Santos came on to make his Ft. Myers debut, but Daytona touched him up. With one down, Allan Cerda blasted a triple to deep left-center, then score two pitches later on a wild pitch to tie the game. Ethan O’Donnell followed with a double to right-center, then moved to third as two walks loaded the bases. Connor Burns came up and hit a sharp ground ball that was snagged on a dive at second, but one out was all they could record as O’Donnell scored on a fielder’s choice to put Daytona ahead 2-1.

The lead was short-lived though, as Bryce Hubbart, working his second full inning of relief, surrendered back-to-back doubles in the seventh, with the second one by Walker Jenkins tying the game at two apiece. Ft. Myers wound up loading the bases in the frame, but Joseph Menefee came on and left all three runners to keep the game tied.

Menefee again walked the tightrope in the eighth and ninth inning, allowing a pair of baserunners in each frame, but stranding both of them each time, as Ft. Myers stranded 14 runners in regulation, sending the game to extra innings for a second straight night, tied at two each.

In the top of the tenth, Burns led off and advanced automatic runner Yerlin Confidan to third on a flyout to right. A ground ball to first, though, resulted in Confidan being cut down at the plate. A strikeout ended the inning as Daytona failed to score.

In the bottom of the tenth, Menefee retired the first two hitters without any advance by the runner, before an intentional walk brought Jenkins to the plate. On a 2-2 pitch, though, Jenkins lined a soft single up the middle to score Alec Sayre as Ft. Myers walked off in ten for a second straight night, 3-2.

Daytona will play game five against the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels on Saturday night. RHP Ryan Cardona (2-2, 3.04) gets the ball for Daytona against Ft. Myers RHP Jose Olivares (2-4, 6.43). First pitch will be at 6:00 p.m. with pregame coverage from Hammond Stadium with the voice of the Tortugas, Brennan Mense, beginning at 5:45 p.m. on the Tortugas Radio Network.

Daytona Tortugas single-game tickets and ticket packages are on sale now at daytonatortugas.com, (386) 257-3172, or the box office at 110 East Orange Ave.

ABOUT THE DAYTONA TORTUGAS

The Daytona Tortugas are the Single-A Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds and a member of Minor League Baseball’s Florida State League. The Tortugas play at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in downtown Daytona Beach, Fla. 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.