Mighty Mussels take 2 of first 3 in Lakeland

LAKELAND, Fla. (May 28, 2021) – The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels have scored 26 runs over three games, winning two of the first three contests in a six-game set against the Lakeland Flying Tigers.

The Mighty Mussels (10-11) have reached base at a .402 clip against the Flying Tigers (10-11), drawing 24 walks in three games. They’ve also delivered 13 extra-base hits (.443 SLG).

Fort Myers has been led by infielder Edouard Julien and catcher Kyle Schmidt. Schmidt is 5-for-10 with two doubles, two walks and three RBI in the series, while Julien has gone 5-for-13 with three doubles, one home run and 5 RBI. Anthony Prato has hit .364 in the series.

TUESDAY – Fort Myers 13, Lakeland 0

The Mussels enjoyed their most lopsided victory of the season, rallying for eight runs in the top of the sixth to put Game 1 of the series out of reach. Fort Myers took advantage of 14 Lakeland walks, while the top five hitters in the Fort Myers batting order all drove in multiple runs.

Left-hander Brent Headrick became the first Mighty Mussels pitcher to complete five innings, allowing just two hits while fanning five. Juan Pichardo and Matthew Swain each went two scoreless to complete the shutout.

WEDNESDAY – Lakeland 10, Fort Myers 9

The Flying Tigers erased a 7-3 deficit, rallying for four runs in the bottom of the sixth to take an 8-7 lead.

Trailing by one in the top of the ninth, Jeferson Morales parked a home run (3) to left center to send the game to extra innings.

After Fort Myers took a one-run lead in the top of the tenth, Eric De La Rosa and Kingston Liniak delivered back-to-back two-out singles for Lakeland, giving them a 10-9 walk-off victory.

THURSDAY – Fort Myers 3, Lakeland 0

The Mighty Mussels won with only four hits thanks to a brilliant pitching performance from three different arms.

Sawyer Gipson-Long (1-2) spun a team-high 5.2 scoreless innings, striking out eight while allowing five hits and one walk. Miguel Rodriguez and Brad Hanner completed the blanking, fanning five more batters while giving up just two hits.

Fort Myers jumped in front early on an RBI single from Morales in the first. After tacking on a run on a wild pitch in the sixth, Ruben Santana delivered his first RBI of the season with a single in the ninth.

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The Mighty Mussels return home on Tuesday, June 1 as they begin a six-game series with the St. Lucie Mets at 7pm. Lee County employees can enjoy $5 tickets all weekend. Come celebrate The Office Night on Friday, June 4 – featuring a meet-and-greet with Kate Flannery, who played Meredith in NBC’s hit show. The first 1,000 fans on Saturday will receive a Brusdar Graterol bobblehead.

Full Promotional Schedule: https://www.milb.com/fort-myers/tickets/promotions