The Daytona Tortugas defeated the St. Lucie Mets 13-4 on Saturday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Fla., taking a 3-2 lead in the six-game series. Daytona scored two runs in each of the first three innings before adding five runs in the fourth.
Julio Zayas went 3 for 4 with two singles and a home run for the St. Lucie Mets. His solo homer in the sixth inning was his 10th of the season. Branny De Oleo went 2 for 3 with a home run, single and walk, and he has homered in back-to-back games to reach nine home runs this season.
Daytona builds early lead
Vai Levu gave the Daytona Tortugas a 2-0 lead with a two-run home run in the first inning against St. Lucie Mets starter Jose Lopez. Lopez left with the trainer after recording one out in the inning.
De Oleo tied the game at 2-2 with a two-run home run off Daytona starter Ty Horn in the second inning. Sherman Johnson put Daytona ahead with a two-out, two-run single against Jose Guevara later in the inning, giving the Tortugas a 4-2 lead they did not relinquish.
Daytona added two runs in the third inning and five more in the fourth. Guevara took the loss after allowing two runs on two hits in 1.1 innings.
St. Lucie finishes with two pitchers
The St. Lucie Mets used five pitchers through the first four innings before Reed Stallman and Jake Ogden handled the final four. Stallman pitched two scoreless innings and allowed two hits, while Ogden pitched a perfect seventh inning.
Daytona scored twice in the eighth inning after collecting four consecutive one-out hits against Ogden. Ogden then recorded the final two outs on a fly ball and a grounder.
The St. Lucie Mets entered the game with a 20-38 second-half record and a 53-71 overall record. The Daytona Tortugas entered with a 36-22 second-half record and a 57-67 overall record.
The St. Lucie Mets and Daytona Tortugas are scheduled to play the series finale Sunday at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.
Source: Original report