Ellwanger, Moring Lead Mighty Mussels to Doubleheader Sweep over Hammerheads
FSL Fort Myers Mighty Mussels

Ellwanger, Moring Lead Mighty Mussels to Doubleheader Sweep over Hammerheads

Published on April 9, 2026 under Florida State League (FSL)
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels News Release


JUPITER, Fla. - The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels swept their doubleheader over the Jupiter Hammerheads on Thursday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.

The Mussels (4-2) received dominant pitching in both ends of the twin billing and the offense rallied late in game two to secure the sweep.

Starting in the third inning of game one, Mussels' pitching retired 10 consecutive batters and 14 of the final 15 Hammerheads (2-4) to come to the plate. Game two starter Reed Moring would continue that trend by retiring the first four batters to begin his outing.

The Fort Myers staff held the Jupiter offense to 0-for-15 with RISP across the doubleheader.

The Fort Myers offense scored six runs across the final two innings of game two after Jupiter tied things up in the fifth.

Game One: Double-A rehabber Jorel Ortega led off the contest on a walk from Marlins No. 1 prospect (MLB No. 14) Thomas White. Ortega advanced to second on another walk, moved to third on a fielder's choice and came in to score on a throwing error by second baseman Carter Johnson as he was unable to turn a double play, making it 1-0 Mussels.

White would pitch 3.2 innings, allowing just the one unearned run. Mussel batters drew five walks off White, who also racked up six strikeouts.

Fort Myers starter James Ellwanger out-dueled White. The Minnesota Twins No. 16 prospect threw four scoreless innings and struck out five. He allowed just one base hit and a walk on 50 pitches, 32 of which were strikes. Ellwanger has now thrown seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts to begin his career.

Kolten Smith (1-0) took over in the fifth and retired the side in order.

In the top of the sixth, catcher Ian Daugherty led off with a single to center. He then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Daugherty came in to score on a fielder's choice off the bat of Byron Chourio, making it 2-0.

The game would enter a 50-minute weather delay in the bottom of the sixth.

Adam Falinski entered on the mound when play resumed. Falinski would face the minimum over his two innings of work, picking off the only baserunner he allowed while striking out three Hammerheads.

Ellwanger, Smith, and Falinski allowed just one hit and two walks while striking out nine in the victory.

The pair of offenses combined to go 0-for-18 with runners in scoring position.

Game Two: Leading off the third inning, Bryan Acuna reached on an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error. Two batters later, Quentin Young singled to center, setting up first and third. Ryan Sprock then dropped an opposite field single to right, plating Acuna and making it 1-0.

Moring threw four shutout innings for the second time in as many outings. The righty struck out five and threw 47 of his 73 pitches for strikes. He is now up to eight scoreless innings with a dozen strikeouts on the season.

Jake Murray entered for the fifth. He faced four batters, issued three walks, and picked up a strikeout. Xavier Kolhosser (1-0) took over with the bases loaded and one out in a 1-0 game. He gave up a sacrifice fly to Andres Valor to tie the game but left the other two inherited runners stranded on a strikeout of Jake McCutcheon.

The offense immediately responded in the sixth, sending eight men to the plate and scoring a pair of runs to jump back in front 3-1. A pair of Hammerhead errors extended the inning and allowed the first run to score. A sacrifice fly from Chourio plated the second run.

Mitch Mueller came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and struck out two in a scoreless frame.

The Mussels' tacked on another four runs in the seventh. Sprock was hit by a pitch to open the frame. He then stole second.

A dropped third strike and subsequent throwing error allowed Yilber Herrera to reach. Ricardo Pena then dropped a single to center, scoring Sprock. Harry Genth followed with a double to left, making it 5-1. Later in the frame, Irvin Nunez pulled a base hit to left, plating another pair of runs and extending the lead to 7-1.

The Hammerheads scored a run in the bottom of the frame, but Mueller was able to finish the game without allowing further damage.

The series continues on Friday, April 10. Minnesota Twins No. 11 prospect Riley Quick makes his professional debut on the mound for the Mussels, opposite Miami Marlins No. 25 prospect Nate Payne who starts for the Hammerheads. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. with coverage beginning at 6:20 p.m. on Mighty Mussels Baseball Network.

Check out the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Florida State League Stories from April 9, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central