Offense falters after three-run first inning

Daytona Beach, FL - The Daytona Tortugas (33-24) could not hold a 3-0 first-inning lead on Monday night at Radiology Associates Field, dropping a 6-4 decision to the St. Lucie Mets (29-28). 

 

The bulk of the offense came early for both sides, as the two teams combined for seven runs and eight hits through the first two innings.

 

Four pitches into the bottom of the first, the Tortugas had runners on the corners after a wall-ball double from LF Phillip Ervin and a single to center from CF Junior Arias. Arias quickly stole second base, and two batters later 1B Sebastian Elizalde roped a double to the right field wall to plate both runners. He would eventually advance to third on a fly ball and score on a wild pitch to gave Daytona an early 3-0 edge. Elizalde extended his league-leading RBI total to 38. 

 

Rob Whalen (W, 3-3) settled down considerably from there, combining with Robert Coles (H, 3) and Akeel Morris (S, 11) to allow just three Tortuga hits and one walk the rest of the way. 

 

After a flawless 10-pitch first inning, RHP Jackson Stephens (L, 4-3) ran into trouble in the second. Matt Oberste led off with a double before reigning Florida State League Player of the Week Dominic Smith snuck a two-run homer inside the left field foul pole to draw St. Lucie within a run.

 

Amed Rosario reignited the rally with a single to right, and scored on a two-run blast from Stefan Sabol, a towering shot that cleared the batting cages behind the left field wall. Just like that, it was 4-3 Mets, and St. Lucie would not trail for the rest of the game. 

 

Stephens finished after 6.1 innings, having allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits with a walk and four strikeouts. The last two runs came across in the seventh inning, when Sabol reached on a throwing error and came home on a triple from Phillip Evans that chased Stephens from the game. With RHP Evan Mitchell on the mound, Evans scored St. Lucie's sixth run on a wild pitch. 

 

Mitchell threw 1.2 scoreless innings with a walk and two strikeouts, and LHP Joel Bender tossed a perfect ninth. 

 

3B Taylor Sparks produced Daytona's lone multi-hit game, raising his batting average to .253. The Tortugas left just two men on base in Monday's defeat. 

 

With Jupiter's 3-2 win over Tampa, Daytona still holds a four-game lead in the FSL North Division with 13 games remaining in the first half. All-Star RHP Nick Travieso (3-5, 3.18 ERA) is scheduled opposed Kevin McGowan (4-4, 5.13) in Game 2 on Tuesday night. As with every Daytona Tortugas game, fans can listen to the action on AM 1230 and AM 1490 WSBB.