Blue Jays Offense Explodes Late, Comeback for 7-2 Victory

Dunedin, FL – The Blue Jays evened up their series against the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels at two games apiece with Saturday night’s late comeback win.

RHP Eliander Alcalde got the start for Dunedin, struggling with command in the first. Alcalde allowed a single and issued three walks, allowing Fort Myers to take an early 1-0 lead, but he was able to escape the first with no further damage. Alcalde began to settle in, throwing a perfect second inning, but with two outs in the third, Fort Myers tagged him for another run. Rafael Cruz hit a bullet to left, turning on a first pitch fastball to double the Mighty Mussels’ lead.

Alcalde ended his day with four innings pitched, two runs given up with three walks and four punchouts. Meanwhile, Zebby Matthews was outstanding for Fort Myers. The righty tossed five shutout innings on just fifty-eight pitches, giving up just two hits while striking out six, exiting with his team up 2-0.

But once Matthews ended his day, the Dunedin lineup found some newfound confidence. Fort Myers brought in RHP Jonathan Lavallee, who up until last night was excellent in two outings against Dunedin and had only walked three batters all year. That was far from the case last night, Lavallee walked the bases loaded in the sixth but was able to escape without a run coming in.

But in the seventh, Dunedin unloaded offensively. Lavallee managed just one out, giving up a single to Sammy Hernandez and a double to Robert Robertis, putting runners on second third before Fort Myers went to the bullpen again. RHP A.J. Labas entered with the tying run on second, inducing a groundout that kept the runners at bay for the second out.

Newest Blue Jay Luis Garcia stepped in as Dunedin’s last chance in the inning, and he stepped up, lining one into right to bring in both runners for his first Single-A RBIs, opening the floodgates. After the Garcia knock, the next four DJays all reached, driving in an additional three runs to give Dunedin a 5-2 lead before Fort Myers could finally get out of the inning. But Dunedin picked up right where they left off in the eighth, tacking on another two runs on a Roque Salinas single, putting the Blue Jays up 7-2.

The bullpen was excellent for Dunedin to put a bow on the game. RHP Alex Amalfi was brilliant, throwing two perfect innings while striking out five, showing off his new curveball and keeping the Mighty Mussels off balance with his pitch mix. Then LHP Ian Chruchill slammed the door in the ninth to close out the 7-2 win.

With the victory, Dunedin improved to 23-20, giving themselves a chance to win the series on Sunday with a doubleheader. The Sunday matinees are scheduled for 12:00 p.m. and will be available live on the Dunedin Blue Jays Radio Network with coverage beginning at 11:45 a.m.