Tortugas drop game one, come three outs from no-hitter in game two victory
JUPITER, Fla—A late rally fell short in the first game, but Ben Brutti spun 5.0 hitless innings and Ricardo Cabrera crushed a tie-breaking homer as the Daytona Tortugas bounced back from a 4-3 defeat in game one with a 3-1 victory in the second contest over the Palm Beach Cardinals.
Daytona (30-24, 61-59) came three outs from the franchise’s third no-hitter in the nightcap, but still managed to take a 2-1 series lead over Palm Beach (38-17, 75-46), while moving 5.0 games clear of Jupiter for the second FSL East playoff spot.
In game one, neither team scored in the first, but Daytona scratched across a run in the second. Ricardo Cabrera legged out a one-out infield single, then a pair of walks loaded the bases with one out. Malvin Valdez rolled a ground ball to deep short that got Palm Beach one out, but Valdez beat the throw to first to stay out of a double play and bring in a run to put Daytona in front 1-0.
Palm Beach, though, immediately answered back. Jose Cordoba led off the bottom of the second with a 410-foot blast to left-center, evening the score at 1-1 on the solo shot.
In the third, Daytona threatened regain the lead. Diego Omana led off with a single and moved to third on a Yerlin Confidan double. However, on a ground ball back to the mound, Omana was caught in a rundown and both he and Confidan were both tagged out near third base, extinguishing a promising ending.
Palm Beach then took the lead. Three straight one-out singles brought in a run, with Ian Petrutz’s hit putting the Cardinals in front. Cordoba then bounced into a fielder’s choice, beating out the throw to first on an attempted double play to put Palm Beach ahead 3-1.
In the fourth, the Cardinals added another tally as Lizandro Espinoza led off and crushed a 3-1 fastball 386 feet to left-center. The second Palm Beach homer of the day put the Cardinals in front 4-1.
In the final two innings, though, the Tortugas made a valiant push. In the sixth, a walk and single with one out set the stage for Malvin Valdez, who ripped a two-run double down the left field line, closing the gap to 4-3.
Daytona was not done, as Sammy Stafura and Peyton Stovall both singled with one out in the ninth. However, a strikeout and fielder’s choice ended the game as Daytona fell in the opener 4-3.
In the second game, it was Palm Beach’s turn to take an early lead. Playing as the road team in game two, the Cardinals began the game with three straight walks to load the bases. Brutti was able to limit the damage, though, inducing a double play that scored a run, but also aided him in getting out of the frame with just one run allowed.
The Tortugas had opportunities to tie the game in the first two games, but Daytona could not cash in on a first-and-third, no-out chance in the first, or a runner at second with no outs in the second.
In the third, though, Daytona came through. Ryan McCrystal singled with one out, then motored all the way home from first on a double to left by Valdez, tying the game at one apiece.
An inning later, Ariel Almonte led off with a single, then scored when Cabrera yanked a 1-2 pitch 392 feet over the left field wall, putting the Tortugas ahead 3-1 on his 11th longball of the season.
After the first inning, Brutti locked in. The right-hander spun 1-2-3 innings in the second and third, then retired three straight after a leadoff walk in the fourth. The right-hander returned for the fifth and finished his night with a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts.
Brutti (2-3) went 5.0 innings for the first time in his career, allowing no hits, with four walks and five strikeouts as he left in line for the win.
Jonah Hurney then entered for the sixth and threw a 1-2-3 inning. Three outs shy of a no-hitter, the lefty returned for the seventh, but the leadoff batter, Joshua Baez, reached on a questionable infield hit. After a fielder’s choice, Jose Suarez then lined a clean single to put two on with one out. Hurney, though retired the next two batters to end the game, closing out his seventh save and a 3-1 win.
The Tortugas will play game against the Palm Beach Cardinals on Thursday night. First pitch from Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium will be at 6:30 p.m. with pregame coverage on the Tortugas Radio Network with the Voice of the Tortugas, Brennan Mense, beginning at 6:15 p.m.
