Mets hold off Tortugas, 6-5
PORT ST. LUCIE Fla. (June 6, 2023) – The St. Lucie Mets won a tight ballgame 6-5 over the Daytona Tortugas in the series opener at Clover Park on Tuesday night. The Mets recorded a huge out on the bases in the seventh inning, scored two key insurance runs in
PORT ST. LUCIE Fla. (June 6, 2023) – The St. Lucie Mets won a tight ballgame 6-5 over the Daytona Tortugas in the series opener at Clover Park on Tuesday night.
The Mets recorded a huge out on the bases in the seventh inning, scored two key insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh and turned a game-ending double play to hold off the Tortugas.
The game was tied 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth when Mets first baseman Yeral Martinez slugged a two-run homer off the batter’s eye to give the Mets a 4-2 lead. It was his fourth homer of the season and his third against Daytona.
A two-out RBI single by Sal Stewart made it a 4-3 game in the top of the seventh. However, Carlos Jorge rounded second base too far on the play and he was caught in a run down to end the inning.
Jett Williams blasted a RBI triple with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Junior Tilien followed with a RBI double to make it 6-3 game. It was Tilien’s third straight game with a double and his 14th double of the year.
Daytona’s Ariel Almonte crushed a two-run homer 429 feet in the top of the eighth to cut the Mets lead to 6-5.
The Tortugas put runners on first and second with one out in the ninth. Mets reliever Miguel Alfonseca got Stewart to hit into a 5-4-3 double play to end the game. It was Alfonseca’s first save of the season.
Mets pitcher Felipe De La Cruz got the win. He pitched 5.2 innings and held the Tortugas to two runs (one earned) on six hits. De La Cruz did not walk a batter and struck out seven.
Stephen Ridings (lat) started the game on MLB rehab assignment. He pitched the first inning and gave up one run on two hits.
Daytona starter Chris McElvain took the loss. He was charged with four runs on six hits over 5.0 innings.
The Mets belted out nine hits, including six for extra bases. Karell Paz went 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles.
Kevin Villavicencio also went 2 for 4.
Former St. Lucie Met and current Daytona outfielder Hector Rodriguez went 3 for 5 with a home run.
The Mets snapped a five-game losing streak to the Tortugas. The win was also the Mets’ second victory in a series opener this season. The other one was at Daytona on May 10th.
The Mets (17-34) and Tortugas (21-31) play the second game of their series at Clover Park on Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:10 p.m.