Cano's Fourth Hit Wins Wild Walk-off
Published on August 15, 2025 under Florida State League (FSL)
Daytona Tortugas News Release
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla - Ichiro Cano's fourth hit of the night was a walk-off single as the Daytona Tortugas scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to stun the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels 8-7 on Friday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
Daytona (24-22, 53-59) won their sixth game in a row for the first time since 2019, as Fort Myers (18-27, 45-64) suffered their tenth straight loss, which was the second walk-off victory for the Tortugas this season.
After a 1-2-3 top of the first, Daytona's offense got to work quickly. With one out, Alfredo Duno ripped a double to right-center, then scored when Arnaldo Lantigua tripled off the top of the left-center field wall to drive in Duno. Lantigua then scored on Bernard Moon's RBI single. After a hit-and-run single moved Moon to third, then Esmith Pineda brought him in with a sacrifice fly that gave Daytona a 3-0 lead.
Fort Myers answered back in the second, as Enrique Jimenez lined an opposite-field home run to give the Mighty Mussels their first tally.
Daytona, though, roared back in a similar manner. With one out, Jacob Friend worked the count full, then sent a hanging slider 396 feet to right for a solo home run. His fourth round-tripper extended Daytona's lead back to three runs.
The Mighty Mussels, though, responded right back in the third. Marek Houston doubled with one out, then scored when JP Smith dunked a bloop single into shallow center with two outs, pulling Fort Myers within two runs at 4-2.
Moon, though, single-handedly restored the lead. With one out, he blasted a solo home run to left, his third in four games this series and his seventh of the season. The round-tripper made it 5-2, Daytona.
Once again, though, Fort Myers had a response. In the fourth, a one-out single was followed by a two-out squibber down the third-base line that went for a double to put two in scoring position for Houston, who lined a two-run single to right that brought Fort Myers within a run at 5-4.
At that point, the offenses slowed down, as Fort Myers went scoreless over the fifth and sixth. Meanwhile, Daytona's offense went dark in the fourth and sputtered over the next five innings.
In the seventh, a leadoff walk and one-out single set the stage for Smith, who lined a game-tying single to right-center, knotting the contest at 5-5.
The Tortugas had opportunities to re-gain the lead, but left two on in the seventh, then stranded the go-ahead run at third to end the eighth.
In the ninth, a pair of one-out singles put runners at second and third for the Mighty Mussels. On a 3-2 pitch, Smith lined a two-run single up the middle, giving Fort Myers their first lead of the night at 7-5.
Daytona, though, did not roll over. Friend led off the ninth with his second hit, then Duno walked with one out. Vu then stepped in and lined a double off the base of the wall in left-center, scoring both runners to tie the game. After Moon's groundout moved Vu to third, Cano came up and jumped on the first pitch he saw, lining his fourth hit of the night into right field, scoring Vu to earn an improbable 8-7 victory.
Daytona will have play game five of a six-game series on Saturday night against the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. Tomorrow we will have a Tortugas fishing hoodie giveaway for the first 1,000 fans through the gates. First pitch will be at 6:35 p.m. with gates opening early at 5:00 for a pregame concert. Pregame coverage with the Voice of the Tortugas, Brennan Mense, will begin on MiLB.tv and the Tortugas Radio Network at 6:25 p.m.
Tickets for every Tortugas home game are available on our website, by calling 386-257-3172, or by visiting the Jackie Robinson Ballpark box office at 110 E. Orange Avenue.
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