Olivar homer seals Mussels’ third walk

FORT MYERS – Ricardo Olivar slammed a two-run homer over the berm in left field to seal the Mighty Mussels’ third walk-off win of the week, a 6-4 victory in 10 innings against the Daytona Tortugas at Hammond Stadium.

After Daytona pushed across one run in the top of the 10th to go up 4-3, Walker Jenkins immediately drove in the tying run with a line drive single to center. On the very next pitch, Olivar ripped a 105-mph dinger inside the left field pole to win the game for Fort Myers.

The Mussels (61-59, 27-27) won games in walk-off fashion on Thursday and Friday as well, claiming five out of six in the series.

Sunday’s game was scoreless in the bottom of the first when Jenkins singled on a grounder to left. With two outs, Danny De Andrade slashed a single to right that moved Jenkins to third. The next batter was Rubel Cespedes, who ripped a base hit down the right field line to put the Mussels up 1-0.

Daytona quickly responded against Mussels’ starter Juan Mercedes, stringing together three extra-base hits in the top of the second to go on top 2-1.

The Tortugas tacked on another in the third on a Cam Collier RBI double. After Collier advanced to third on a wild pitch, he left third base early on a sacrifice fly, costing Daytona an important run.

The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the sixth, when De Andrade drew a two-out walk. The next batter was Cespedes, who pummeled a two-run home run over the wall in deep left center to tie the game 3-3.

Both bullpens traded zeroes in the later innings until the drama unfolded in the 10th.

The Mussels are scheduled to begin a six-game series with the Clearwater Threshers at BayCare Ballpark Tuesday. All six games will be broadcast on the Mighty Mussels Baseball Network.

Keaschall doubles, Daytona walks help Mussels win 9-4

FORT MYERS – Two Luke Keaschall doubles and 11 Daytona walks helped the Mighty Mussels claim the series from the Daytona Tortugas with a 9-4 win at Hammond Stadium Saturday.

Keaschall now has eight doubles in his first 19 Single-A games, with his last all three laced to the left field corner at Hammond Stadium.

Daytona (51-65, 22-29) got out to an early lead against Mussels’ (60-59, 26-27) starter Jose Olivares. After a pair of walks, Jackson Miller and Ethan O’Donnell both drove in runs with singles to make it 2-0.

With two outs in the top of the third, Ethan O’Donnell plated Miller from first on a base hit to the gap to make it 3-0 Tortugas.

Olivares settled down from there, completing five innings with just three hits allowed.

Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth, Fort Myers began their comeback with three walks. With one out, Danny De Andrade grounded a base hit to center and hustled to second base for a two-run double. The next batter was Rubel Cespedes, who chopped a grounder to second to push in the tying run and make it 3-3.

With the same score in the bottom of the sixth, Yohander Martinez and Alec Sayre both walked before a wild pitch moved them to second and third. The next batter was Dillon Tatum, who cranked a sacrifice fly to the warning track in left to give Fort Myers a 4-3 lead. Maddux Houghton then lined a single to center to plate Sayre and make it 5-3.

In the top of the eighth, Johnny Ascanio walked with one out. After an Ethan O’Donnell single to right, Jack Moss lined a base hit to the gap. Ascanio scored easily before O’Donnell rounded third. De Andrade unleashed a one-hop throw to home plate to nail O’Donnell and maintain the lead.

Still leading 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth, Tatum and Houghton both walked with one out. The next batter was Keaschall, who cranked his second double to left to extend the lead 7-4. A sacrifice fly and a Daytona error then forced across two more to cap the scoring at 9-4.

The Mussels’ win gives them their first series win at home since May 9-14 against Tampa.