Dunedin takes control early, pulls away late to win opener
DUNEDIN, Fla—Carlos Sanchez reached base four times, but the Dunedin Blue Jays took the lead in the bottom of the first and never looked back as they defeated the Daytona Tortugas 8-2 on Friday night at TD Ballpark.
Dunedin (14-11) stroked 11 hits and drew ten walks at the plate, while also striking out 16 Daytona (11-14) batters.
In the first, Daytona took an early lead. With one out, Sanchez tripled to deep center. Carter Graham followed with a drive to deep left-center that was ran down at the wall, but it was more than enough to bring home Sanchez, with the sacrifice fly giving Daytona a 1-0 lead.
Dunedin, though, loaded the bases in the first on a walk, single, and hit batter to open the inning. After a strikeout, Edward Duran drove in a run with an infield single. Kendry Chirinos followed with a sacrifice fly to center to bring in a second run to give the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead.
An inning later, the Blue Jays added to the lead. They loaded the bases once more, doing so with one out on a pair of walks and a single. Bryce Arnold then bounced into a fielder’s choice that Daytona could only record one out on, scoring Dunedin’s third run of the night.
With a 3-1 lead, Dunedin starter Colby Holcombe settled down. The right-hander did not allow a run for the next four innings, allowing just a pair of singles in that time as he worked 5.0 innings of one-run ball.
In the sixth, the Tortugas cut the deficit in half. Sammy Stafura doubled to lead off the inning. After the next two batters were retired, Trey Faltine came through with an RBI single through the left side to score Stafura, trimming the deficit to 3-2.
However, Dunedin took control of the game in the bottom of the inning. A bloop double and a single began the inning. Yhoangel Aponte then followed with a three-run home run to left, pushing the Blue Jay lead to 6-2.
In the seventh and eighth, Daytona made a push to shrink the lead, as they put two men in scoring position in both the seventh and eighth innings, but neither time could Daytona come through with a clutch hit.
Dunedin then plated two more runs in the eighth to pull further ahead before recording the final three outs to polish off an 8-2 win.
Daytona will play game two of the three-game series at Dunedin against the Dunedin Blue Jays. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Pregame coverage with the Voice of the Tortugas, Brennan Mense, will begin on the Tortugas Radio Network at 6:15.
Tickets for every Tortugas home game are available on our website, by calling 386-257-3172, or by visiting the Jackie Robinson Ballpark box office at 110 E. Orange Avenue.
ABOUT THE DAYTONA TORTUGAS
The Daytona Tortugas are in their tenth season as the Single-A Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds and a member of Minor League Baseball’s Florida State League. The Tortugas play at historic Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Florida that was recently designated a National Commemorative Site. 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.
