Tortugas break tie with five-run seventh right before rain curtails contest
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla—Sammy Stafura homered and drove in three, Nick Sando struck out nine in relief, and the Daytona Tortugas broke a tie with a five-run seventh right before a thunderstorm cut short Friday night’s contest, which ended with a 7-2 victory over the Tampa Tarpons at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
Daytona (14-17) bounced back from Thursday’s doubleheader sweep to even the series at two games apiece, drilling 12 hits off Tampa (13-18) pitching and striking out 13 Tarpons hitters.
After scoreless first frames, Daytona jumped in front in the first against Tampa’s Tristan Vrieling. Bernard Moon led off with a bloop single to right, then went first to third on a well-placed ground-ball single from Esmith Pineda. With one out, a soft bouncer to second off the bat of Ryan McCrystal was enough to bring Moon with the first run of the game.
Daytona starter David Lorduy was solid out of the gate, working around a two-out walk in the first, throwing a 1-2-3 second with a pair of strikeout, then brushing off another two-out free pass in the third, finishing the frame with his third punchout.
In the bottom of the third, Daytona added to the lead. Luis Leones led off with a walk, then swiped second. Sammy Stafura then ripped a double deep into the gap in left-center to score Leones to put the Tortugas ahead 2-0.
In the fourth, Tampa jumped on Lorduy. Dillon Lewis led off with a triple to right-center before Juan Matheus looped a bloop single to right-center to tie the game. Lorduy was able to buckle down after that and keep the score at 2-1, Daytona.
After 4.0 innings of one-run ball, Lorduy departed for Nick Sando, who started his outing with a flourish, striking out the side in the fifth.
Daytona put runners on the corners with no outs in the fifth, but failed to cash in, which immediately came back to haunt the Tortugas as a one-out homer by Lewis tied the game at two apiece in the sixth. Sando, though, struck out three batters in the inning once again.
In the seventh, the southpaw returned to the hill and allowed a leadoff hit, but struck out the next three men, giving Sando a career-high nine strikeouts in just 3.0 innings pitched.
After the stretch, Daytona’s offense roared to life. Leones led off with a walk, then scored when Stafura lifted a drive just over the wall in left-center for a tie-breaking two-run homer, his third of the season. The rally continued, though, as a walk, single, and two groundouts brought Carlos Sanchez around. Luis Reyes then singled home Carter Graham and went to second on an error. McCrystal followed with his second hit and second RBI, scoring Reyes to make it 7-2 on the strength of a five-run inning.
Immediately after McCrystal’s hit, the tarp came on and a deluge of torrential rain started soaking The Jack shortly thereafter. After over an hour of steady downpour, the contest was called with Daytona the 7-2 victors.
Tomorrow we will give away our second installment of the Collect-Them-All Bobbleheads Series, as the first 1,000 fans through the gates will go home with a Jonathan India bobblehead courtesy of Barton Malow. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. Pregame coverage with the Voice of the Tortugas, Brennan Mense, will begin on the Tortugas Radio Network and MiLB.tv at 6:20 with first pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
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.
