Matthew Miura hit a game-winning, two-RBI single down the right-field line in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the Palm Beach Cardinals an 8-7 walk-off victory over the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels on Tuesday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Florida.
The Palm Beach Cardinals scored three runs in the ninth inning to overcome a 7-5 deficit. Jayden Lobliner started the rally with an RBI single that cut Fort Myers’ lead to 7-6 before Miura drove in the tying and winning runs.
Fort Myers Builds a Five-Run Lead
The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning against Palm Beach starter Andrew Dutkanych IV. Yovanny Duran led off with a walk, advanced on a groundout and stole third before Aiden Teel drove him in with a sacrifice fly.
Carson Tinney hit a solo home run in the fourth inning to extend Fort Myers’ lead. Dutkanych IV left after one batter in the inning because of an apparent injury, and Justin Militello entered in relief for Palm Beach.
With the bases loaded and one out, Isaiah Lane hit a two-RBI double, and Hideki Prather followed with a sacrifice fly. The two plays gave the Mighty Mussels a 5-0 lead.
Palm Beach Ties the Game
Palm Beach answered with five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Trevor Condon, the St. Louis Cardinals’ first-round draft pick, made his professional debut and recorded his first professional hit with a ground-rule double before Ryan Mitchell followed with an RBI single.
After Sebastian Dos Santos and Owen Henne drew back-to-back walks, Jayden Lobliner reached on an error that allowed two runs to score. The play tied the game 5-5 after five innings.
Branneli Franco pitched four shutout innings in his home debut and struck out four Fort Myers hitters. Eric Hammond and Brian Strange combined to pitch four scoreless innings for the Mighty Mussels, while Brent Francisco worked scoreless seventh and eighth innings.
Condon finished 2-for-5 with a double, a run and a stolen base in his professional debut. Dos Santos scored two runs, and Mitchell reached base four times for Palm Beach.
Miura Finishes the Comeback
Fort Myers regained the lead in the top of the ninth inning against Palm Beach reliever Brian Garmon II. Vahn Lackey hit a two-RBI single to give the Mighty Mussels a 7-5 advantage.
Adam Falinski entered for Fort Myers in the bottom half of the inning. Dos Santos was hit by a pitch to start the frame, and Henne followed with a single before Lobliner drove in a run with a single up the middle.
After Lobliner stole second base, Miura lined the game-winning single down the right-field line to score two runs. The victory was Palm Beach’s first walk-off win since May 30 and its third walk-off victory of the season.
Palm Beach entered the game with a 24-25 record in the second half and a 57-58 overall record. Fort Myers entered at 25-23 in the second half and 62-51 overall. With Daytona defeating Tampa, Palm Beach remained eight games behind first place in the Florida State League East Division for the second half of the season.
The Palm Beach Cardinals and Fort Myers Mighty Mussels will continue their six-game series Wednesday, Aug. 19, at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Source: Original report