Mercedes Homers But Fort Myers Falls to Lakeland for Second Night in a Row
FSL Fort Myers Mighty Mussels

Mercedes Homers But Fort Myers Falls to Lakeland for Second Night in a Row

Published on April 18, 2026 under Florida State League (FSL)
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels News Release


FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels dropped their second game in a row to the Lakeland Flying Tigers by a 9-2 score on Saturday night at the Lee Health Sports Complex.

The Mussels (8-6) added RHP Matthew Dalquist (0-1) to the active roster prior to today's game, and sent him to the mound for his first professional start.

After navigating two scoreless frames, Lakeland (10-4) broke through in the third inning. Dalquist got the first two hitters out on two pitches, but Double-A rehabber Thayron Liranzo ignited a two-out rally with a line-drive single to right field.

The next batter was Zach MacDonald, who smoked an RBI triple in the right-center field gap to put the Flying Tigers on the board. Jesus Pinto followed up with an RBI double in a similar spot, and Carson Rucker added an RBI single as well. In the end, three runs on four consecutive hits allowed Lakeland to move in front, 3-0.

Fort Myers got two hits in the next inning but failed to score. Among those two hits was a single from Dameury Pena. The knock extended Pena's hitting streak to nine games and he has reached base safely in all eleven games he's played in.

In the fourth inning, Lakeland added a run on another two-out RBI hit, courtesy of Bryce Rainer, this time to make it 4-0. Dalquist's night would end after 4.2 innings, giving up nine hits, scattering four strikeouts and not issuing a walk.

Dalquist would give way to Adam Falinski in the fifth inning, who gave up two baserunners but held Lakeland off the board, keeping the Mussels' deficit at four.

In the top of the sixth inning, Anibal Salas led off the inning by reaching on an error. He would later come around to score on a wild pitch by Falinski. MacDonald drove in a run to strengthen the Flying Tigers' lead to 6-0.

Pena led off the sixth inning with a single off of new Lakeland pitcher Pedro Garcia, who replaced Luke Hoskins (1-0). For Pena, it was his team-leading fifth multi-hit game of the season.

The next batter was Yasser Mercedes, who blasted a home run at 104.3 mph off the bat for his second home run of the series to get Fort Myers on the board, 6-2.

Major League rehabber Travis Adams made his second appearance of the series for Fort Myers. Adams struck out the leadoff hitter on his way to a 1-2-3 inning; he has now retired all six batters he has faced during his assignment.

Lakeland added three unearned runs against Mike McKenna in the top of the ninth inning to make the score 9-2. Only four of Lakeland's runs were earned against Mussels' pitching.

The Flying Tigers would close out the Mussels in the bottom of the ninth as Fort Myers dropped their second game in a row.

The series concludes on Sunday, April 19. First pitch is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. with coverage beginning at 11:45 a.m. on the Mighty Mussels Baseball Network.

Check out the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels Statistics

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Florida State League Stories from April 18, 2026


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