Tortugas Fall Behind Early in Fourth Straight Defeat

LAKELAND, FL—The Lakeland Flying Tigers scored seven runs over the third and fourth innings to quickly pull away from the Daytona Tortugas as Lakeland secured a series win with an 8-2 victory on Friday night at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium.

Lakeland (19-9, 45-48) won their fifth straight game as Daytona (11-15, 40-51) was held to just four hits as they fell for the fourth straight night to open the series.

Both starters were sharp the first two innings as neither team recorded a baserunner in the those two frames.

However, that changed in the third as Daytona starter Mason Pelio ran into trouble by issuing a pair of walks to open the inning. He followed with a pop-up and fielder’s choice to have him on the verge of an escape, but Ryan Kreidler blasted a three-run homer to open the scoring, staking Lakeland to a 3-0 advantage.

After Lakeland starter Colin Fields set down the first nine Tortugas, Daytona got on the board in the fourth as Victor Acosta led off the inning with a double and came around on a two-out RBI single from Yassel Pino.

The Flying Tigers, though, put the game out of reach an inning later. A single and walk opened the inning, chasing Pelio. Manuel Sequera, though, greeted reliever Frainger Aranguren with an RBI double to left. Carlos Pelegrin followed with another two-bagger to the left-field corner, which scored two more runs. With two outs, a passed ball brought Pelegrin across with an unearned run, extending Lakeland’s lead to 7-1.

After 5.0 innings of two-hit, one-run ball, Field departed for Jose Diaz, who surrendered a pair of walks with two outs before Pino struck again, lining an RBI single to score Carlos Jorge, trimming the deficit to 7-2. Jorge’s walk earlier in the frame also extended his on-base streak to 22 games, the longest by a Tortuga this season.

From there, the zeroes racked up as Aranguren settled in. He threw a 1-2-3 sixth and faced the minimum in the seventh by erasing a leadoff walk on a double play. Aranguren worked a season-high 4.0 innings out of the bullpen for Daytona, the last three of which were scoreless.

Brody Jessee came on and allowed a run in the eighth before also inducing a double play to limit any more potential damage.

Lakeland, meanwhile, used three relievers for a scoreless inning apiece over the final three frames to nail down an 8-2 win to secure the series victory.

The Tortugas will play game five against the Lakeland Flying Tigers on Saturday night. RHP Johnathan Harmon (3-4, 4.13) will get the ball for Daytona while Lakeland’s starter is still to be announced. First pitch from Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland will be at 6:30 p.m. with pregame coverage with the voice of the Tortugas, Brennan Mense, beginning at 6:15 p.m. on the Tortugas Radio Network.

Daytona Tortugas single-game tickets and ticket packages are on sale now at daytonatortugas.com, (386) 257-3172, or the box office at 110 East Orange Ave.

ABOUT THE DAYTONA TORTUGAS

The Daytona Tortugas are the Single-A Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds and a member of Minor League Baseball’s Florida State League. The Tortugas play at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in downtown Daytona Beach, Fla. Jackie Robinson Ballpark also plays host to Bethune-Cookman University, the Jackie Robinson Ballpark Museum, and many community events and initiatives of all sizes throughout the year.