Tortugas salvage series split with Miracle
DAYTONA BEACH – The Daytona Tortugas earned a four-game series split with the Fort Myers Miracle Monday night with a 4-1 win.
The Miracle scratched out a run in the top of the second inning. Tortugas starter Tyler Mahle struck Chris Paul with the second pitch to open the inning. Ryan Walker lined a 1-1 pitch through the right side as Paul took third on the play. Alex Real’s high chopper to second plated Paul for a 1-0 lead.
Daytona answered in the bottom of the second without the benefit of a hit. Miracle starter Randy Rosario walked the first two batters, Angelo Gumbs and Avain Rachal. Rosario (1-1) then got Taylor Sparks to hit a grounder to short, but Nick Gordon couldn’t handle a tough bounce and was charged with an error. Blake Butler then sent a fly to right field. Edgar Corcino caught the ball for an out, but Gumbs tagged and scored from third base to tie the game 1-1.
In the fifth, the Tortugas pushed ahead. Sparks doubled down the third base line to begin the frame and moved to third on Butler’s groundout to second. After Rosario issued a walk to Chad Tromp, Jonathan Reynoso drove in Sparks by beating out a double play on a chopper to first base.
Rosario went 5 1/3 innings with two runs allowed on five hits with three walks and no strikeouts. Todd Van Steensel replaced Rosario in the sixth and entered with the bases loaded and one out. Van Steensel induced a 6-4-3 double play to get out of the jam.
Mahle (1-0) exited the game after seven innings with nine strikeouts, no walks and one run give up.
Daytona added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth. Van Steensel worked a scoreless seventh, but the Tortugas tagged Miracle reliever Luke Bard for two two-out RBI in the ninth. Aristides Aquino had an RBI single and Gumbs sliced a run-scoring triple into right-center to put Daytona up 4-1.
The Miracle (7-4) return to Hammond Stadium Tuesday to open a six-game homestand and a three-game series with the Jupiter Hammerheads.