Mets tie game in ninth, win on walk-off sacrifice fly in tenth
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla—Connor Burns crushed a three-run home run, but the St. Lucie Mets rallied to tie the game in the ninth before taking a 5-4 win in ten innings on a walk-off sacrifice fly from Colin Houck in the 2024 season opener.
St. Lucie (1-0) turned the tables on Daytona (0-1), who won last year’s season opener in extra innings in St. Lucie.
After a scoreless first inning, the Tortugas mounted a rally in the second inning. Esmith Pineda led off with a single and moved to second on a walk to Ariel Almonte. Following a flyout, a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Burns followed by blasting a 2-2 pitch from St. Lucie starter Jack Wenninger over the center field fence, staking the Tortugas to a 3-0 lead.
On the other side, Brian Edgington was excellent to begin the night. The right-hander retired the first nine hitters he faced over three perfect innings.
In the fourth, though, Marco Vargas led off with a single up the middle before stealing second. Two groundouts moved him around, with Houck’s bouncer to short bringing home Vargas to trim the deficit to 3-1.
Edgington went 4.0 innings, allowing the lone run on one hit with no walks and four strikeouts to earn a no decision before giving way to Cody Adcock in the fifth.
With one out, Adcock ran into trouble, allowing a bloop double to Ronald Hernandez. After a foul pop-up fell untouched, two walks followed, loading the bases with one out. Christopher Suero then rolled a ground ball to third, but Daytona could only record one out, and a fielder’s choice brought in a run to bring St. Lucie within a run at 3-2.
The Tortugas established some breathing room against Ernesto Mercedes in the sixth as Pineda led off with his second hit of the night. Two batters later, Dominic Pitelli rifled a double into the right field corner that allowed Pineda to score all the way from first to push the Daytona lead to 4-2.
St. Lucie, though, had an answer. Left-hander Jonah Hurney entered for Daytona and retired his first hitter, but Houck followed with a triple. Jesus Baez then dunked a single to right to bring home Houck. Another single followed to put runners on the corners with one out, but Hurney induced a twin killing to end the inning and keep the lead, which was now 4-3.
Hurney followed with 1-2-3 seventh and eighth innings to hold the Mets at bay. Meanwhile, Daytona failed to cash in on a leadoff double from Trey Faltine in the ninth as Jawilme Ramirez (1-0) struck out two in the inning to thwart the threat.
Hurney returned for the bottom of the ninth and retired the leadoff man, but Nick Morabito stepped up and lofted a high fly ball that received enough help from a prevailing breeze to right to just clear the right field fence for a solo home run that tied the game at four apiece, sending the game to extras.
With the automatic baserunner in the tenth, Carter Graham reached on an error to begin the frame. After a strikeout, Almonte walked to load the bases with one out. However, Ramirez buckled down again, striking out Pitelli and winning a nine-pitch battle with Burns, who bounced to third to end the inning with no runs across.
In the bottom of the inning, Simon Miller entered for Daytona and recorded the first out, but walked the next two men, which with the automatic runner loaded the bases for St. Lucie. Houck stepped up and lifted a fly ball to medium-deep center field, but Faltine’s throw home was too late to catch Yohairo Cuevas tagging from third, and St. Lucie claimed a 5-4, ten-inning win to start the year.
The Tortugas will be back in action in game two at St. Lucie on Saturday night with first pitch scheduled for 6:10 p.m. and pregame coverage with Brennan Mense on the Tortugas Radio Network beginning at 5:55. RHP Gabriel Aguilera will get the ball for Daytona opposite St. Lucie RHP Wyatt Hudepohl. The Tortugas will be back at Jackie Robinson Ballpark for their home opener on Tuesday, April 9 at 6:35 p.m.
