Walk-off weekend capped off with 2-1 win

Daytona Beach, FL - The Tortugas walked off on the Manatees, 2-1 in 10 innings, for the second time this weekend. On Sunday night at Radiology Associates Field at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, it was a Stephen Peterson wild pitch in the bottom of the 10th that lifted the Tortugas to victory.

With the score even at 1-1 entering the bottom of the 10th, SS Alex Blandino led off with a walk, and was replaced on first base by DH Sebastian Elizalde on a fielder's choice. A chopper from 1B Chad Wallach moved Elizalde to second, and he advanced to third on a two-out wild pitch from Peterson. After a 3B Taylor Sparks walk, C Joe Hudson worked the count until Peterson bounced one past catcher Cam Garfield, allowing Elizalde to come home with the winning run. 

RHP Sal Romano pitched more than well enough to win, allowing just one run (on an RBI single from Garrett Cooper in the fourth inning) on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts. None of the batters he walked came in to score, and Romano picked off a pair of those baserunners.

LHP Nolan Becker was tremendous as well, retiring each of the first five hitters he faced until Taylor Brennan collected his third hit of the night with two outs in the seventh. RHP Jimmy Moran then came on and retired Clint Coulter, and eventually threw 1.2 scoreless innings with two hits allowed along with one strikeout. 

RHP Evan Mitchell (W, 2-0) struck out the only two men he faced in the top of the 10th.

Daytona scored the game's first run in the third, when Blandino and Elizalde hit back-to-back doubles off Wei-Chung Wang. They would not score again until the 10th, thanks in part to Tristan Archer's three shutout innings of relief. 

The Tortugas took four of five games from their I-95 rival over the weekend, and will look to continue their roll on the road in Lakeland on Monday, where they start a three-game series.