Huggins shines, Duno doubles in two to build early lead that’s just enough
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla—Kenya Huggins threw 4.0 shutout innings, Alfredo Duno blasted a two-run double and the Daytona Tortugas held on to just enough of an early six-run lead to defeat the St. Lucie Mets 6-5 on Saturday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
Daytona (17-21) snapped a three-game skid as St. Lucie (20-18) nearly erased a six-run deficit for the second time in the series, but the Tortugas held on.
After a scoreless first inning, Daytona scored first in the second. Duno led off with a walk, then Esmith Pineda blooped a double to right. However, a wild throw allowed Duno to score and Pineda to reach third, which allowed him to score a second run on a Luis Reyes sacrifice fly to jump ahead 2-0.
An inning later, the lead doubled. Bernard Moon and Kyle Henley began the inning with infield hits, then a walk loaded the bases with one out for Duno, who ripped a 2-0 pitch into deep left-center that hopped over the wall for a ground-rule double that scored a pair of runs, extending the lead to 4-0.
Daytona was not done, though, as a one-out walk and single put two on in the fourth. Luis Leones and Moon then executed a double steal, which put Leones in position to score on a groundout from Henley. An errant pickoff at second then allowed Moon to score on the play, boosting the Tortugas to a 6-0 advantage.
Huggins did not have the cleanest outing, allowing three hits and two walks without recording a 1-2-3 innings, but the right-hander struck out five and worked 4.0 scoreless innings, handing off the six-run lead to JP Ortiz.
Ortiz wobbled out of the gate, allowing two hits and two walks in the fifth, but allowing just one run on a two-out single from Colin Houck. He allowed two more hits in the sixth, with Nick Rosselli singling in a run to trim the lead to 6-2.
He settled down in the seventh, as Ortiz (5-0) threw a 1-2-3 inning to finish 3.0 innings out of the bullpen, handing off the lead to Trent Hodgdon in the eighth.
However, St. Lucie again pulled closer. With one out, a single was followed by an opposite-field two-run homer by Simon Juan, trimming the deficit to 6-4. Hodgdon, though, buckled down to strike out two straight to end the inning.
In the ninth, Hodgdon began the frame with a strikeout and a flyout. A two-out walk, though, brought up Trace Wilhoite, who doubled to left-center, scoring a run to trim the led to one run. However, Hodgdon induced a flyout on the following pitch to end the game, as Daytona held on to win 6-5.
Daytona finishes their six-game series against the St. Lucie Mets and their 12-game homestand at The Jack on Sunday evening. Tomorrow will be Family Fun Day Sunday with a team picture giveaway for the first 500 fans and Postgame Kids Run the Bases. Gates open at 4:00 p.m. with first pitch at 5:00 p.m. Pregame coverage with the Voice of the Tortugas, Brennan Mense, will begin on the Tortugas Radio Network and MiLB.tv at 4:45.
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.
