'Tugas Tally Three in Ninth to Walk Off Hammerheads

DAYTONA BEACH—Logan Tanner ripped a walk-off single to cap off a ninth-inning comeback as the Daytona Tortugas scored all three of their runs in the ninth to swipe a 3-2 victory from the Jupiter Hammerheads on Wednesday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

Daytona (10-8, 39-44) snapped a string of six losses in seven games with their fifth walk-off win of the season, three of which have come at the hands of Jupiter (9-11, 44-42).

From the beginning, both pitchers were on top of their game. Jared Lyons struck out the first two batters he faced in the ballgame, then added one more in the second and a pair of punchouts in the third, as his first trip through the Jupiter lineup finished nine-up, nine-down.

In the fourth, Lyons retired the first two hitters before Javier Sanoja snapped his string of consecutive outs at 11 with a two-out double that snuck inside the third-base line. However, Lyons bounced back to induce a flyout to center, capping off 4.0 excellent innings in which he allowed just one hit, no runs, no walks, and set a career high with six strikeouts.

In the fifth, though, Jupiter mounted a rally against new pitcher Rob Hensey. A hit batter was followed by back-to-back singles, with Harrison Spohn driving in the first run of the contest with a base hit to left. After a strikeout, another single loaded the bases for Jordan McCants, who looped a soft liner into shallow center to score another run. However, two fielder’s choices allowed Hensey to escape the inning with no more damage, but Jupiter now led 2-0.

The pitching staffs took over again as Jupiter starter Josh White was excellent. The only two baserunners he surrendered were leadoff singles in the fourth and fifth innings, both of which Daytona failed to convert.

On the other side, Hensey settled down with scoreless sixth and seventh innings. He gave way to Jacob Heatherly (5-3), who walked two batters in the eighth and allowed a hit in the ninth, but struck out a season-high five batters over 2.0 scoreless innings, setting the stage for the comeback.

After two scoreless frames from Edgar Sanchez, Dale Stanavich came on for the Hammerheads to close it out, but Daytona instead rallied. Carlos Jorge led off with a single before Sal Stewart walked. Cam Collier then laced a triple to left-center that tied the game, leaving the tying run 90 feet away with no outs.

Stanavich came back with a strikeout, but then an intentional walk brought Tanner to the plate. On the second pitch of the AB, Tanner roped a line drive into left center that easily plated Collier with the winning run to secure a 3-2 victory.

UNBELIEVABLE! @Cam_Collier16 ties it with a two-run triple and @19LoTan WALKS IT OFF!

FINAL: Daytona 3, Jupiter 2! pic.twitter.com/Sci8RwW5lU

— Daytona Tortugas (@daytonatortugas) July 20, 2023

The Tortugas will play game three against Jupiter on Thursday night. RHP Nestor Morant (0-0, 0.00) gets the ball for Daytona against Jupiter RHP Ike Buxton (3-0, 1.91). Tomorrow will be Thirsty Thursday, with drink specials beginning at $1 throughout the night. Gates will open at 5:30 with first pitch at 6:35 p.m. and pregame coverage on the Tortugas Radio Network with the Voice of the Tortugas Brennan Mense beginning at 6:20 from Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

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.