Rainer’s mammoth blast, go-ahead balk fuels Flying Tigers to 7th straight victory to begin season in 2-1 win over Daytona

Courtesy of outstanding pitching and a late-inning balk, the Lakeland Flying Tigers (7-0) remained perfect on Saturday night, coming away with a 2-1 win over the Daytona Tortugas (1-6) at Joker Marchant Stadium.
In a game headlined by dominant pitching performances, both starters set the tone early. Lakeland’s Malachi Witherspoon went 4.0 innings, allowing one run on one hit while punching out four and walking one. Daytona’s Edgar Colon went 6.0 innings, also allowing one run on one hit while striking out a career-high 10 with just one walk. However, neither factored into the decision.
The Tortugas opened the scoring in the third off Witherspoon. Drew Davies walked, moved to second on a fielder’s choice and scored on a single from Bernard Moon, giving Daytona a 1-0 lead.
The Flying Tigers quickly responded in the fourth off Colon. Bryce Rainer hit a 477 foot, 116 mph over the batter’s eye to tie the game at 1-1.
Lakeland took its first and only lead of the night in the eighth inning. Nolan McCarthy drew a leadoff walk, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher. He scored the go-ahead run on a balk from reliever Lisnerkin Lantigua, giving the Flying Tigers a 2-1 lead, and ultimately a win.
Eliseo Mota (1-0) earned the win, hurling 2.1 shutout innings while striking out four. Lantigua (0-1) took the loss, allowing one unearned run over 2.0 innings while also striking out four. Xiomer Guacache (1) earned the save in his Single-A debut, setting down all three batters he faced with one strikeout.
The Flying Tigers host the Tortugas in the penultimate game of the six-game series tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. Lakeland’s Caleb Leys (0-0, 4.50) is scheduled to face off against Ovis Portes (0-1, 4.50).