Tortugas end Mets 3-game winning streak with 6-4 victory

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 12, 2025) – The Daytona Tortugas snapped the St. Lucie Mets’ three-game winning streak with a 6-4 victory at Jackie Robinson Ballpark on Thursday night. The Mets’ loss, coupled with Palm Beach’s win, keeps the Mets’ magic number to win the FSL East division at five games. The Mets are now 3.0 games up on the Cardinals with both teams having seven games left, including four head-to-head.

For the second straight day the Tortugas jumped all over the Mets starter in the first inning. Wednesday they scored four runs off Irving Cota. On Thursday they scored three runs against Frank Elissalt. Kyle Henley led off the first with a triple and scored on a Sammy Stafura single. Later in the inning Esmith Pineda delivered a two-run single that made it 3-0.

Iverson Espinoza hit a leadoff double in the second, went to third on sac bunt and scored on a Henley sac fly to put the Tortugas up 4-0.

The Mets got on the board in the sixth inning when Trace Willhoite hit a solo home run to make it a 4-1 ballgame. It was the eighth homer of the season for Willhoite.

A two out error in the bottom of the sixth inning kept the Tortugas alive at the plate and Luis Leones hit a two-run single off reliever Ernesto Mercedes to push the Tortugas lead to 6-1.

The Mets scored two runs in the seventh on a RBI ground out by Jeremy Rodriguez and a two-out RBI single by Colin Houck to make it 6-3.

Nick Roselli hit a two-out RBI single in the eighth to cut the deficit to 6-4. However, Daytona reliever Gabe Starks pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to end the game and earn his first save.

Elissalt took the loss. He gave up four runs on four hits over 4.0 innings. He did not give up a hit over his last 11 batters.

Mercedes finished the game on the mound for the Mets by firing 4.0 excellent innings, giving up just two unearned runs and one hit. He struck out five.

Roselli went 2 for 3 with a walk, RBI and run. Yohairo Cuevas was 2 for 5 with a double.

Yonatan Henriquez went 1 for 2 with a double, two walks and two runs.

Trey Snyder led off the game with a double. He hit the first pitch of Tuesday’s game for a home run and the first pitch of Wednesday’s game for a triple.

The Mets (32-27) and Tortugas (26-34) play the fourth game of their series at Jackie Robinson Ballpark on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.