Tortugas Rally Early, Cruise Late to Sweep Doubleheader
JUPITER, FL—The Daytona Tortugas rallied from four runs down to swipe an 8-7 victory in Game 1, then allowed just two hits in a 3-0 victory in Game 2 to sweep a doubleheader from the Palm Beach Cardinals on Friday evening at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Daytona (21-28) earned their
JUPITER, FL—The Daytona Tortugas rallied from four runs down to swipe an 8-7 victory in Game 1, then allowed just two hits in a 3-0 victory in Game 2 to sweep a doubleheader from the Palm Beach Cardinals on Friday evening at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
Daytona (21-28) earned their first doubleheader sweep since taking a pair from Ft. Myers on June 12, 2022, in the process snapping a three-game skid and evening up the series with Palm Beach (28-21) at two wins apiece.
In game one, the Cardinals got to Daytona starter Tanner Cooper first. After a leadoff walk, R.J. Yeager lifted a fly ball to deep center that Hector Rodriguez got a glove on, but could not track down, resulting in a double that put two runners in scoring position. A single through the left side from Won-Bin Cho followed to bring home the first run of the game.
However, Cade Hunter caught Cho stealing for the first out, then Yassel Pino made a diving stop at first and fired home to throw out Yeager at the plate, helping avoid further first-inning damage. Daytona also got a strong defensive play in the second as Hector Rodriguez threw out Adanson Cruz trying to advance to third on a fly ball to end the second inning.
In the third, though, Palm Beach strung together a big inning. Three of the first four hitters singled, with Cho coming through with a second RBI hit. An error then brought home another run before a fielder’s choice brought in a third run to put the Cardinals up 4-0.
Daytona, though, came to life in the fourth. After a single and hit batter, Pino came through with his first RBI to put the Tortugas on the board. A throwing error on the play allowed a second run to score and Pino to reach third. A chopper over the mound then brought home Pino, closing the gap to 4-3.
However, the Cardinals answered right back. Two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases against Brett Lockwood. Cho walked to drive home his third run of the game. Leonardo Bernal followed with a single through the right side to bring in two more runs, restoring Palm Beach’s four-run advantage at 7-3.
Frainger Aranguren came on to get the final out in the fourth before throwing a scoreless fifth, setting the stage for the late-inning heroics.
In the sixth, Rincon departed for Jack Lynch, who walked the first two batters he faced. After a flyout, Pino singled home his second run, chasing Lynch for Edwin Nunez. Nunez induced a flyout to begin his night, but Yerlin Confidan blasted a double off the center field wall to score two runners, closing the gap to 7-6.
Nunez stayed on for the seventh and Daytona kept chipping away. Carlos Jorge singled with one out and moved to second on a wild pitch. Sal Stewart then dunked a single into shallow right to score Jorge, tying the game. Following a strikeout, Hunter walked to move the go-ahead run into scoring position. Pino followed with his third hit, a line drive to right. Pinch-runner Malvin Valdez slid in just ahead of Cho’s throw to put Daytona in front 8-7.
.@stewart_sal ties the game in the 7th with this hit and @yasselpino comes up with his third RBI hit of the day to GIVE US THE LEAD!
— Daytona Tortugas (@daytonatortugas) June 2, 2023
8-7 Tortugas with three outs to go in Game ! pic.twitter.com/31UGVYx6VO
In the bottom of the seventh, Aranguren (1-0) retired the side on just six pitches, closing out 3.1 scoreless innings of relief to earn his first victory of the season.
In game two, the Daytona pitching was on from the beginning. Ryan Cardona got the start and was stingy. While he did walk three batters, he did not allow a hit.
On the other side, the Tortugas jumped ahead in the third. A hit batter and double from Johnny Ascanio put two on for Stewart, who ripped a two-run double down the left field line to put Daytona ahead 2-0.
The pitching took care of the rest from there. Cardona struck out three batters in the third and one more in the fourth, finishing off 4.0 hitless innings with a season-high seven strikeouts.
He gave way to Luis Mey (1-1), who allowed the first hit for Palm Beach in the fifth, but ended the inning with a 6-4-3 double play, ending a scoreless inning that put him in line for his first win of the season.
He then passed the baton to Easton Sikorski who allowed a one-out single in the sixth to Bernal, but struck out two batters and picked off Bernal to end the inning.
In the seventh, Daytona added an insurance run as Acosta was plunked, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Ascanio’s single to left.
Sikorski then struck out the side in a 1-2-3 ninth, finishing off a six-out save, his second of the season, with a career-high five strikeouts to nail down a 3-0 win.
The Tortugas will return to action Saturday night for game five against the Palm Beach Cardinals. Daytona’s starter is to be determined while Palm Beach will throw RHP Cade Winquest (5-2, 3.15). First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. with pregame on the Tortugas Radio Network with the Voice of the Tortugas Brennan Mense at 5:45 from Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
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.