Clutch rally, strong pitching leads Daytona to series win
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla—Daytona broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth and pulled away with three more in the sixth as the Daytona Tortugas won their fourth game in a row with a 5-1 win over the Jupiter Hammerheads on Friday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
Daytona (8-5) improved to 6-1 at The Jack to start 2025, holding Jupiter (5-8) to six hits and stranding 11 Hammerhead runners as they secured a series win with still two more games to play in the series.
In the first, both teams threatened to score. A one-out walk and a two-out error put two on with two outs against Daytona starter Kenya Huggins. However, the right-hander picked up a groundout to end the inning.
In the bottom of the first, Kyle Henley drew a leadoff walk, then stole second and third with one out. After a second walk, Jupiter starter Liomar Martinez struck out the next two batters to keep Daytona off the board.
After a scoreless second, Daytona scratched across a run in the third. Henley led off with an infield single, then went to second on a bloop hit by Carlos Sanchez. After a fielder’s choice, Ryan McCrystal lifted a sacrifice fly to center, bringing home Henley with the game’s first run.
Huggins, though, ran into trouble in the fourth. With one out, Jacob Jenkins-Cowart boomed a triple off the center field wall. One pitch later, Abrahan Ramirez rolled a base hit through the left side of the infield to tie the game. With two outs, a bloop double put two men in scoring position, but a flyout ended the inning and with it, Huggins’ night.
Huggins went 4.0 innings, allowing a run on three hits with one walk and five strikeouts, leaving behind a 1-1 game.
JP Ortiz entered for the fifth and worked around a leadoff hit and a walk, stranding runners on the corners to keep the game tied.
In the bottom of the fifth, Sanchez drew a walk, went to second on a flyout, then came home when Carter Graham drilled a triple to left-center, putting Daytona back in front, 2-1 on his first triple of the year.
An inning later, the Tortugas took control of the game. Malvin Valdez led off with a single, then Luis Leones walked. Henley followed by rolling a base hit to right, scoring Valdez. Henley was thrown out at second on the play, but Sanchez picked him up with an RBI double to left-center, then Alfredo Duno boomed a triple to right-center, pushing the lead to 5-1 after a three-run frame.
Ortiz (2-0) did not have his sharpest stuff, but the right-hander came back out and spun a scoreless seventh, leaving in line for the win after 3.0 scoreless innings with two hits and three walks allowed, striking out three.
Dalvin Rosario then entered the contest in the eighth and did the rest from there. He struck out two in a 1-2-3 eighth, then worked around a double and an error in the ninth, closing out 2.0 scoreless innings and with it, a 5-1 win.
Daytona will look to earn the series win in game five of the six-game set at Jackie Robinson Ballpark against the Jupiter Hammerheads on Saturday night, which is First Responders Night with a Sheriff Chitwood bobblehead giveaway for the first 1,000 fans through the gates. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. with gates opening at 5:30. Pregame coverage with the Voice of the Tortugas, Brennan Mense, will begin on the Tortugas Radio Network at 6:20 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.
