Escudero Homers Twice, Tarpons Drop High-Scoring Battle

TAMPA, Fla. – The Tampa Tarpons (1-1) battled back from multiple deficits in a high-scoring showdown against the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (1-1) but ultimately fell 13-11 on Saturday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Despite the loss, Luis Escudero led the Tarpons offense by launching two homers and driving in three runs as part of a 17-hit attack from Tampa.

Tyler Boudreau delivered five innings in his start, allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out five batters.

The Tarpons jumped ahead in the second inning when Logan Maxwell launched a solo home run to right-center field, giving Tampa an early 1-0 advantage.

After Fort Myers tied the game in the third, Escudero answered with his first homer of the night to put Tampa back in front. The Mussels responded with a four-run fourth inning, highlighted by a two-run home run from Quentin Young, to take a 5-2 lead.

Escudero’s second blast of the night came in the fifth inning and left in a hurry, cutting the deficit to 5-3 and keeping the home team within striking distance.

The Tarpons then erupted for six runs in the sixth inning to take control. David McCann delivered a two-run double, while Brando Mayea drove in two more runs with a line drive single to left-center gap. Tampa added another run on a sacrifice fly from Maxwell to make it 9-5.

Fort Myers responded with a seven-run seventh inning, scoring on only four hits to reclaim the lead.

Tampa continued to fight back in the seventh. Jackson Lovich brought home a run with a sacrifice fly before Mayea added an RBI single, trimming the deficit to 12-11.

Down 13-11 in the ninth, the Tarpons made things interesting, putting the tying runs on base, but could not finish the comeback.

Tampa returns to action Sunday afternoon to complete their series against Fort Myers, with first pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.m.