Rivas, Bullpen Combine for 18Ks in 5-3 Win

The Tampa Tarpons’ (3-4) pitching staff stole the show Friday night at “The Tank,” piling up an eye-popping 18 strikeouts in a 5-3 victory over the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (4-3).

Left-hander Xavier Rivas set the tone for Tampa, punching out 13 batters over 5.2 innings while allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits. Rivas struck out the side in a commanding first inning and carried that momentum throughout his start.

The Tarpons’ bullpen took over in the sixth and was nearly untouchable the rest of the way. Jack Sokol and Cade Austin each delivered scoreless frames before closer Brady Kirtner slammed the door with three punchouts in the ninth to secure his third save of the season.

Offensively, Tampa did their damage early with five runs in the first two frames. Leading off the top of the second inning, Santiago Gomez connected on an inside fastball for his first homer as a Tarpon. Two batters later, Roderick Arias added a no-doubt two-run blast to right to build a 5–0 cushion.

With Friday’s win, the Tarpons evened the series against the Mighty Mussels at two games apiece and will turn to Andrew Landry tomorrow to keep the ball rolling. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 PM.