Left-hander leads 17 strikeout-effort by staff in final day of first half
DUNEDIN, Fla—Adam Serwinowski threw the first known immaculate inning in Daytona Tortugas history as Daytona pitching struck out a season-high 17 Dunedin Blue Jays, but a two-run walk-off homer sent the Blue Jays to a 2-0 victory in 11 innings Thursday night at TD Ballpark.
Dunedin (34-32) took the upper hand in the series as they dealt Daytona (31-35) the Tortugas’ ninth shutout loss of the season in the final contest of the first half of the Florida State League season.
The night began in style for Serwinowski as the left-hander mowed through Jean Joseph and Cade Doughty swinging, both on three pitches. He then finished off the inning by catching Victor Arias looking on an 0-2 slider, finishing off an immaculate inning of three strikeouts on nine pitches.
The first would foreshadow a slow night at the plate as neither team recorded a runner in the first three innings. Daytona, though, mounted a threat in the fourth against Grant Rogers. Sammy Stafura walked, stole second, then moved to third on a Ricardo Cabrera hit. However, with runners at second and third, a lineout to second saw Cabrera doubled off to hamper the threat and Daytona did not score.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays recorded their first baserunners in the fourth as well. After striking out six and retiring the first ten men, Serwinowski allowed a one-out triple to Cade Doughty. After a pop-up and a walk, the left-hander ended his night with a strikeout to end the inning.
Serwinowski went 4.0 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, one walk, and punching out a season-high and career high-tying seven strikeouts before handing things off to Anyer Laureano in the fifth.
The next several innings saw little in the way of opportunities for either side. Laureano started his outing with two perfect innings, then worked around a leadoff bunt single and error that put a runner at second in the seventh. All told, Laureano tied his career bests with 3.0 innings pitched and six strikeouts as he kept the game scoreless.
On the other side, Rogers shut down Daytona after the fourth-inning threat, retiring 14 of 15 batters through the end of the eighth inning. He stayed on for the ninth and Daytona came to life again, as Johnny Ascanio led off with a walk, and a double by Cabrera moved pinch-runner Trey Faltine to third. Eliander Alcalde then entered for Dunedin and picked up a strikeout and flyout to stranded two men in scoring position.
Meanwhile, Nestor Lorant entered in the eighth for Daytona and threw 1-2-3 eighth and ninth innings, sending the game to extra innings without a run.
In the tenth, the Tortugas could only muster a two-out walk against Alcalde, who also threw a wild pitch, as they stranded two men in scoring position once more. Lorant, though, never allowed the automatic runner to move past second in a 1-2-3 tenth.
In the 11th, Faltine led off against Yondrei Rojas by dropping down a sacrifice bunt to move pinch runner Yassel Pino to third. After a walk to Stafura, though, Rojas induced a pop-up for the second out. A walk loaded the bases, but a groundout to the mound left them loaded.
In the bottom of the 11th, Lorant returned once more and retired the leadoff man on his first pitch. Robert Robertis stepped up after that, though, and swatted a two-run, walk-off home run to right to send the Blue Jays to a 2-0 victory in 11 innings.
Daytona will be back in action Friday evening as they will face Dunedin in game four at 7:15 p.m. at TD Ballpark. RHP Dualvert Gutierrez (0-0, 0.00) will get the ball for Daytona against RHP Fernando Perez (2-1, 3.47) for Dunedin. Pregame coverage on the Tortugas Radio Network with the Voice of the Tortugas, Brennan Mense, beginning at 7:00 p.m.
