Blandino and Howard shine as Tugas roll 9-1

Daytona Beach, FL - All nine Tortugas reached base, RHP Nick Howard (W, 2-0) and LHP Joel Bender (S, 1) combined to allow no earned runs on four hits, and Daytona (6-3) cruised to a 9-1 victory over the Tampa Yankees on Saturday night at Radiology Associates Field at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

The win was the Tortugas' fourth in-a-row, as the team improved to 5-0 in home games this season.

It was a big night for both of Cincinnati's 2014 first round draft picks. Howard, selected 19th overall last season, allowed just two hits and one unearned run through five innings. He worked around five walks and struck out four hitters. 

Howard ran into major trouble in the second inning, loading the bases with nobody out on a single and a pair of walks. Unfazed, he struck out Ericson Leonora and induced an inning-ending double play off the bat of Angelo Gumbs to preserve Daytona's 1-0 lead. Minutes later, 3B Taylor Sparks led off the bottom of the second with a solo homer (his second of the season) and the Tortugas were off and running.

Howard has now thrown 10 innings without allowing an earned run this year. The right-hander has surrendered just four hits in those 10 innings, holding opponents to a .129 batting average. 

SS Alex Blandino, selected with the 29th overall pick a season ago, put together his best offensive performance yet. He tripled and scored in the first inning, sustained a rally with a single in the third, knocked in two runs with a base hit in the fourth, and added another hit in the fifth. Blandino batted in the seventh with a chance for the Florida State League's first 5-hit night of the season, but struck out swinging against Luis Niebla. 

The Tortugas scored all of their runs in the first four innings. LF Sebastian Elizalde scored Blandino on an RBI groundout after his first-inning triple. Spark's blast doubled the lead in the second, and Elizalde collected his second of four RBIs with a run-scoring single in the third. 

The game was blown open against starter Conner Kendrick (L, 0-1) in the bottom of the fourth, when the Tortugas sent 11 men to the plate and plated six runs on six hits and two walks. 1B Sammy Diaz walked to start the rally, and CF Nick Benedetto collected his first FSL hit with a single to left. After a strikeout, Blandino hit a two-run single to make it 4-0. Elizalde followed with a two run double, and after a Sparks single, DH Joe Hudson joined the hit parade with an RBI base knock. Diaz capped off the rally by beating out a double play ball to bring home the ninth run. 

After Howard's impressive outing, Bender followed with an equally dominant performance. He recorded the final 12 outs of the game, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out three hitters. 

Daytona entered the game with three hits in their previous 30 at bats with runners in scoring position, but went 7-for-15 in those spots on Saturday. 

Sparks, Elizalde and 2B Carlton Daal each added multi-hit games for the Tortugas, who set single-game highs in runs (nine), hits (13), and errors (two). 

In search of the sweep, Daytona will send RHP Jackson Stephens to the mound for a Sunday showdown with the Yankees. First pitch is scheduled for 5:35 p.m.