Mighty Mussels erupt early, hold off Tortugas in 24-8 final

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A seven-run second inning put Daytona in an early hole the Tortugas could not escape, as Fort Myers rolled to a historic 24-8 win on Thursday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

The Rundown

Fort Myers seized control in the second and never looked back. After a leadoff single from JP Smith II and an RBI triple by Irvin Nunez, Jayson Bass launched a two-run homer to right to make it 3-0. The inning unraveled from there, as Byron Chourio singled, Harry Genth and Ramiro Dominguez walked, and Bruin Agbayani ripped a two-run single. A run scored on a ground out and another crossed on a throwing error, capping a seven-run frame and giving Fort Myers a 7-0 lead.

Daytona answered in the bottom half. Rafhlmil Torres singled, Mason Neville doubled him to third, and Drew Davies brought him home with a sacrifice fly to make it 7-1.

Fort Myers added another in the third on a balk to extend the lead to 8-1, but Daytona chipped away in the fifth. Anthuan Valencia reached to start the inning, Tyson Lewis drove him in with a single, and Bernard Moon followed with a sacrifice fly. After a single from Arnaldo Lantigua, Torres delivered an RBI hit to cut the deficit to 8-4.

Any momentum was short-lived. Fort Myers responded with five runs in the sixth, capitalizing on walks, a wild pitch, and a passed ball to push the lead to 13-4.

The game broke open in the seventh. Fort Myers scored six more runs on five hits, highlighted by RBI hits from Bass and Chourio and a two-run double from Genth, extending the lead to 19-4.

Daytona continued to compete offensively. Bernard Moon doubled and later scored on a double from Rafhlmil Torres, who then came home on a single from Drew Davies as the Tortugas plated two in the seventh.

Fort Myers added three more in the eighth on a three-run homer from Nunez, then two more in the ninth to reach a franchise-record 24 runs. Daytona pushed across two late runs in the ninth on a double from Jacob Friend and a sacrifice fly from Henry Hunter, but the deficit proved too large.

Pitching

Justin Henschel (L, 0-1) allowed six runs in 1.1 innings in his professional debut as Fort Myers jumped out early.

Edgar Colon provided length out of the bullpen, working 4.0 innings, but allowed seven runs (five earned) as Fort Myers continued to capitalize on traffic. The Tortugas bullpen was unable to slow the momentum as the Mighty Mussels scored in five separate innings.

Stat of the Game

24 — Fort Myers set a franchise record with 24 runs, the most ever allowed by Daytona.

Notes

• Fort Myers’ 24 runs surpassed its previous franchise record of 19 (June 10, 2021).
• The Mighty Mussels also set a franchise record with 21 hits (previous: 20).
• The 24 runs allowed are the most in Tortugas franchise history (previous: 20 on July 29, 2023 at Lakeland).
• The 21 hits allowed are the second-most in franchise history (record: 22).
• Daytona falls to 7-17 overall and 4-8 at home, with losses in 8 of its last 10 games.
• Kyle Henley recorded his eighth multi-hit game of the season.
• Bernard Moon logged his seventh multi-hit game and now has 10 doubles, tied for the Florida State League lead.
• Moon also leads the FSL with 22 RBI.
• Rafhlmil Torres recorded his first three-hit game of the season.

Next Up

Daytona continues its series against Fort Myers on Friday, May 1 at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. ET.