Eighth inning rally seals 12-10 win over Jupiter

FORT MYERS, Fla. (July 13, 2021) – The Mighty Mussels rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth Tuesday, claiming a see-saw affair 12-10 over the Jupiter Hammerheads at Hammond Stadium.

Early in the win, Fort Myers (35-26) center fielder Misael Urbina delivered the first grand slam of his young career, a shot onto the left field berm in the top of the second.

Despite that, the Mussels trailed 10-9 entering the bottom of the eighth. Aaron Sabato reached on an error to start the inning. The next batter was Jeferson Morales, who ripped a double into the left field corner to move Sabato to third. Yunior Severino then lifted a sacrifice fly to right, pushing across Sabato to tie the game 10-10. With the go-ahead run at third and one out, Jesus Feliz delivered the game winner with a single to left to score Morales.

Fort Myers left-hander Denny Bentley notched his fifth save, stranding two runners in the ninth to end a tough day for the Mussels’ pitchers on a high note.

The Mighty Mussels trailed 1-0 in the top of the second before loading the base with nobody out. Willie Joe Garry Jr. then ripped a single into right to put Fort Myers up 2-1. After a walk loaded the bases, Urbina parked his grand slam to extend the lead to 6-1. Keoni Cavaco then singled to center before Morales doubled to make it 7-1. Two batters later, Feliz chased home Morales with an infield hit to cap the Mussels’ biggest inning of the year at 8-1.

Fort Myers couldn’t score again until the seventh, as Jupiter (26-34) chipped away with runs in four straight innings to take a 9-8 lead after five.

With the score the same in the top of the seventh, Justin Washington clubbed a triple to deep center with two outs. Ruben Santana followed with an RBI single to right to tie the game at 9-9.

Santana reached base five times Tuesday, going 2-for-2 with three walks.

In a tie game in the top of the eighth, Hammerheads catcher Cameron Barstad singled to right to put Jupiter back in front. However, the Mussels rallied in the bottom of the frame to claim the series opener.

The Mussels’ offense is averaging 8.0 runs per game over their last seven games, hitting .337 with 26 extra-base hits (.526 SLG) and 12 stolen bases.

Fort Myers will turn to

RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (4-2, 5.89) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. The Hammerheads will go with LHP Dax Fulton (1-4, 5.40). Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. on the Mighty Mussels Baseball Network.