Weekend wrap: Mussels win two of final three games in series with Mets
Fort Myers can’t hold early lead in finale against St. Lucie
PORT ST. LUCIE – The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels were unable to hold onto their 5-0 lead over the St. Lucie Mets Sunday afternoon at Clover Park, falling 11-8 in the series finale.
The Mussels (51-43, 14-15) finished the head-to-head matchup with an 8-4 record against the Mets (44-51, 11-18) and won both series.
Fort Myers jumped ahead with another crooked number in the top of the first. The three- run frame was highlighted by an RBI single from JP Smith II and four stolen bases.
The Mussels added another pair of runs in the second to make it 5-0. Byron Chourio had a run-scoring hit to bring home the fourth run.
St. Lucie responded with eight total runs in the bottom of the second, chasing Mussels’ starter Callan Fang (3-2) from the game. The righty was charged with the first six runs of the frame and recorded just four outs while allowing four hits and issuing three walks in his outing. It was Fang’s shortest appearance of the season and the first time he failed to log a strikeout. Jonathan Stevens entered with the bases loaded and allowed all three inherited runners to score, giving St. Lucie the lead 6-5. Stevens allowed two more runs (one earned) to score, adding to the deficit.
In total, Stevens allowed five runs (three earned) across 1.2 innings of work and exited with the Mussels trailing 11-5 after three innings.
Eric Hammond was the third arm of the day, and he worked four shutout innings, allowing just one hit while having a 4/0 K/BB ratio.
In the seventh, Ramiro Dominguez pulled an RBI double down the left field line. He later scored on a ground out to move the score to 11-7. The Mussels added another run on a balk to cut the deficit to three.
The Mussels return home Tuesday, July 28, to take on the Palm Beach Cardinals. First pitch at Lee Health Sports Complex is set for 7:05 p.m. with coverage beginning at 6:40 p.m. on the Mighty Mussels Baseball Network.
Mighty Mussels defeat Mets in 15-14 slugfest
PORT ST. LUCIE – The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels won their third consecutive game over the St. Lucie Mets, this time by a 15-14 score, securing a series win on Saturday night at Clover Park.
The 29 total runs is the second largest run total in a game in franchise history (tracked since 2005) and fell three runs shy of matching the record set earlier this season. It was the fourth time in the Mussels’ era (since 2020) that Fort Myers has scored 15 runs or more in a game.
The 3:34 time of game was two minutes shy of matching the longest nine-inning game of the season.
Eight of the nine Mussels’ starters reached and scored by the end of the third inning and all nine reached and scored by the sixth.
The Fort Myers’ (51-42, 14-14) offense exploded in the first inning, scoring eight total runs and chasing Mets’ (43-51, 10-18) starter Ethan Lanthier (0-3) after he recorded just two outs. An RBI single from Jhomnardo Reyes opened the scoring and then JP Smith II made it 2-0 with a single to center. Reyes and Smith executed a double steal to bring home the third run.
Later in the frame, Harry Genth connected on a bases-clearing double to extend the margin to 6-0. It was Genth’s third consecutive game with an extra-base hit this week. A two-run single from Bryon Chourio brought home the final two runs of the frame. The Mighty Mussels sent 12 men to the plate in the inning and leadoff man Ramiro Dominguez recorded two doubles before St. Lucie had its first plate appearance.
The Mets immediately responded in their half of the first, scoring five runs off of Mussels’ starter Matt Barr, cutting the lead to 8-5. The Minnesota Twins No. 27 prospect faced nine men in his first Florida State League inning, after missing the bulk of his first full professional season with an injury.
In total, there were 13 runs scored with 11 combined hits in a first inning that took 40 minutes to complete.
In the third, Dominguez grounded a ball up the middle to bring home two more runs. He was later caught stealing. Chourio followed with his seventh home run of the year to make it 11-5.
Fort Myers had five successful stolen bases across the first three innings after averaging just 0.94 steals per game across their first 18 games this month.
Barr ended up tossing 2.2 innings, allowing five runs on four hits with two strikeouts and three walks. He retired six of the final eight batters he faced. The 20-year-old threw 56 pitches, eclipsing his season-high from his eight appearances in the Florida Complex League.
Dylan Questad recorded the final out in the third before giving way to Ramiro Villanueva in the fourth.
St. Lucie plated two unearned runs in the fourth to make it 11-7 after a pair of Mussel errors led to a two-run “little league home run” for Trey Snyder.
Genth was hit by a pitch in the fifth, giving him 23 on the year, the most in all of Minor League Baseball.
In the bottom of the frame, Randy Guzman connected on a two-run homer to move the score to 11-9. Villanueva was ejected from the game after hitting Met batters on consecutive pitches. The first hit-by-pitch came on a slider that didn’t break, and both teams were warned after the Mussels’ bench cleared when Villanueva took issue with a comment from the Met dugout. He then plunked Simon Juan on the next pitch, leading to his early exit. Due to the warnings from the umpires, manager Jordan Smith was automatically ejected along with Villanueva. It was the first ejection for a Mussel player this season.
Adam Falinski took over on the mound following the ejections. He walked the first batter he faced to load the bases, but then retired the following two Mets to escape the jam.
With two aboard in the sixth, Quentin Young demolished his 12th home run of the season. It traveled 437 feet and cleared the batter’s eye. The blast tied him with Jayson Bass for the team lead this season and for the third most home runs in a season in the Mussels’ era (since 2020) with Kala’i Rosario who hit a dozen homers in 2022. Young’s homer left the bat at 111.9 mph, giving three of the five hardest hit home runs in franchise history.
Guzman responded in the bottom of the inning with his second homer of the night, this time a three run blast, to make it 14-12. Michael Hilker Jr. (5-2) entered and got the final out of the inning.
The first six innings took 2 hours and 40 minutes to complete.
Hilker worked 2.1 scoreless innings. Brent Fransico (S3) allowed two runs in the ninth but held the lead to close out the win.
Mighty Mussels reach 200 stolen bases in 9-3 win over Mets
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (July 24, 2026) – The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels logged the second 200 stolen base season in franchise history as they defeated the St. Lucie Mets 9-3 Friday night at Clover Park.
Leading 1-0 in the fifth inning, Luis Fragoza cleared the bases with a double to add to the Fort Myers (50-42, 13-14) lead. The left fielder then swiped third to secure the 200th stolen base of the season for the Mussels.
It is the second time in franchise history (since 1992) that Fort Myers has recorded 200 stolen bases in a season. The Mussels set a franchise record with 236 steals in 2025 and are on pace to challenge that record this season.
Mussels’ catcher Irvin Nunez opened the scoring with a solo blast in the second. His fourth home run of the year left the bat at 101 mph and traveled 400 feet to straight away left field.
Fort Myers’ starter Jason Reitz retired the first five Mets (43-50, 10-17) he faced to begin his outing. The righty needed just 35 pitches to navigate the first three innings, facing just one batter above the minimum.
Reitz ran into trouble in the fourth. With one out, he issued three consecutive walks, all of which came on full counts. Reitz then retired the next two batters to escape the jam, but he threw 34 pitches in the inning, wrapping up his outing. With his performance today, Reitz lowered his season ERA down to 2.76 in 32.2 IP.
Luis Hernandez led off the fifth inning with a double. Two batters later Ramiro Dominguez was hit by a pitch and Byron Chourio followed with a single to load the bases. Fragoza then connected on his bases-clearing double to make it 4-0, before stealing the Mussels’ 200th base of the season.
The Mets responded with two runs in the bottom of the frame off Mussels’ reliever Billy Oldham to cut the lead in half.
The next inning, Quentin Young led off with a single. Nunez followed with a double down the left field line, scoring Young from first. Two batters later, Harry Genth blasted a two-run shot to left to make it 7-2. His second homer of the year left the bat at 104 mph.
Leading off the seventh, Jhomnardo Reyes connected on his first Florida State League hit. A groundout and a pair of wild pitches brought the 18-year-old outfielder home to move the score to 8-2. A Met error plated the ninth Mussels’ run of the game.
Nick McAuliffe (2-0) took over on the mound in the bottom of the seventh and picked up two strikeouts over 1.1 innings of work. Mike McKenna was the next man out of the bullpen, and he struck out four Mets while covering the final 1.2 innings.