Mighty Mussels drop three straight to Daytona Tortugas over weekend
Young’s four-hit day not enough in Mighty Mussels’ series finale loss to Tortugas
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels lost the series finale to the Daytona Tortugas by a final score of 5-2 Sunday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
Despite the loss, Minnesota Twins No. 14 prospect Quentin Young recorded four hits, a season high. Young accounted for half of Fort Myers’ (16-11) hits Sunday. It was his third multi-hit game of the series.
The Mussels sent Twins 2025 9th round pick Justin Mitrovich to the mound to make his first professional start. The 22-year-old from Elon University worked a 1-2-3 frame in his first inning, including a strikeout of Bernard Moon.
In the top of the second inning, the Mussels struck after three straight one-out singles against Daytona (10-17) starter Deivi Villafana. The third knock came from Byron Chourio, who brought Ryan Sprock home making it 1-0 Fort Myers.
Mitrovich allowed two baserunners in the second inning but induced an inning-ending groundball double play to evade damage. In total, Mitrovich worked four scoreless innings. He faced 16 batters, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out five Tortugas.
He was relieved by Kolten Smith (2-2) in the fifth inning, and Daytona’s offense turned in a two-out rally to tie the game at one, capped by an RBI single from Jacob Friend.
Smith recorded a key strikeout in the bottom of the sixth inning with the go-ahead runner at third base, getting Drew Davies to fan on three pitches to keep the game tied.
In the top of the seventh inning against Sheng-En Lin (2-1), Young led off the frame with a double to left field. He was later stranded in scoring position as the game stayed 1-1 through six and a half innings.
Daytona rallied to take the lead in the bottom of the seventh inning behind the second RBI knock of the game by Friend. The Tortugas took the lead after seven innings, 2-1.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, a two-run double by Davies and another RBI single by Friend off of Jonathan Stevens extended Daytona’s lead to 5-1.
Sprock and Young recorded back-to-back singles to open the ninth. Ian Daugherty cut into the deficit with an RBI groundout, but the rally fell short as the Mussels dropped their third consecutive game in Daytona Beach.
The Mighty Mussels return home Tuesday, May 5, to play the Tampa Tarpons. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. with coverage beginning at 6:40 p.m. on the Mighty Mussels Baseball Network.
Mussels suffer second consecutive walk-off loss in Daytona Saturday
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels fell in walk-off fashion against the Daytona Tortugas by a final score of 7-6 Saturday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
The Mussels’ (16-10) received the first three-hit games of the season from Yasser Mercedes and multi-hit games from three other players but could not hold onto a ninth inning lead for the second night in a row against the Tortugas (9-17). Fort Myers led 6-2 heading into the bottom of the eighth, but Daytona went on to rally for five runs to take a 3-2 series advantage.
Fort Myers sent Ramiro Villanueva to the mound to make his second start of the season. Villanueva ran into trouble in the first inning following a pair of strikeouts. Four straight Tortugas (9-17) reached, including three hits, to get Daytona on the board, 2-0.
The Mighty Mussels fought back to tie the game in the top of the third inning. Harry Genth led off the inning with a ground-rule double, then scored on an RBI single by Dameury Pena. Later in the inning, Mercedes brought Pena home on an RBI groundout.
Reed Moring relieved Villanueva in the fourth inning after the 19-year-old navigated three innings of two-run ball. Villanueva allowed four hits and struck out three Tortugas over 60 pitches.
It took Moring 24 pitches to face the minimum in two scoreless frames, striking out two.
In the fifth inning, Daytona reliever Lisnerkin Lantigua allowed back-to-back singles to begin the frame. Mercedes was next, and he singled in Pena for the second time in the game to give Fort Myers a 3-2 lead.
Adam Falinski took over in the sixth inning and navigated two scoreless innings. He did not allow a runner to reach base, striking out a Tortuga in each frame.
In the top of the seventh inning, Mercedes doubled for his third hit of the night. He later came home to score on a wild pitch by Lantigua, making the score 4-2 Mighty Mussels.
Despite missing the first nine games of the year, Mercedes leads the Mussels in RBI (17) and runs (15), while ranking second on the team in hits (19).
Fort Myers padded their lead in the eighth inning. Genth clubbed a two-run home run, his first of the season, to extend the Mussel lead to 6-2 against Abraham Gaitan (2-1). Saturday marked Genth’s first multi-hit game of the season.
Daytona cut into the lead in the bottom of the frame against Falinski. Three consecutive Tortugas reached with one out to move the Mussels’ advantage to 6-5.
Mitch Mueller (1-1) relieved Falinski in the ninth. The Tortugas scored on two wild pitches by Mueller to walk-off the Mussels for the second consecutive night. The final score was 7-6.
Mussels fall to Tortugas 5-4 to even 6-game series at 2-2
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels fell to the Daytona Tortugas by a 5-4 final score Friday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
Daytona (8-17) opened the scoring with a three-run frame in the second inning off Merit Jones. Only two of the runs were earned. Jones would go on to scatter seven hits across four innings of work.
Ryan Sprock carried the Mussel (16-9) offense with a season-high four RBI day at the plate.
Trailing 3-0 in the fifth, Sprock singled to right, driving in Yasser Mercedes and making it 3-1.
Michael Hilker Jr. and Matthew DesMarets kept Daytona off the board in the middle frames.
Sprock struck again in the seventh, driving a three-run home run over the wall in left-center, tying the game 4-4.
Mike McKenna (1-1) put up another zero in the eighth.
Still tied in the bottom of the ninth, the first three Tortugas reached against McKenna. Brian Zeldin entered from the bullpen and allowed a single to Arnaldo Lantigua, ending the game and evening the series 2-2.