FSL1 Daytona Tortugas

Pigott Homers to Power 'Tugas Comeback

Published on August 20, 2015 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Daytona Tortugas News Release


Tampa, FL - The Daytona Tortugas (33-19, 70-52) kicked off a six-game road trip with a 7-4 comeback win over the Tampa Yankees (26-28, 60-64) on Thursday night at Steinbrenner Field.

RHP Keury Mella (W, 2-0) recorded his first two outs on five pitches, but ran into trouble against the middle of the order. Dustin Fowler hit a ground rule double to left, and Mike Ford lined a single back up the middle to drive him in. Home Run Derby champion Miguel Andujar followed with his seventh blast of the year, a sky scraping fly ball over the left field fence, to give Tampa a 3-0 lead. Mella would not allow another hit from there.

Daytona answered right away, plating four runs to take the lead in the top of the second. DH Daniel Pigott, who had spent the past three weeks on the disabled list, unloaded on the first pitch he saw from RHP Gabriel Encinas (L, 2-5) and lined a leadoff homer to left. A single and two walks later, 1B Brian O'Grady stayed patient and drew a bases-loaded free pass to force in a run. After a strikeout, SS Ronald Bueno smacked a two-run single through the middle, and the Tortugas had a 4-3 edge.

Mella finished after 5.1 innings, allowing just three walks over his final 4 frames. RHP Carlos Gonzalez (H, 5) inherited two runners in the first, but eventually retired all five batters he faced to lower his ERA to 1.08.

Neither team scored again until the seventh, when Daytona gave themselves some breathing room with a three-run rally. O'Grady led off with a laser beam to right for his third homer of the year. Bueno then singled and scored from first on double to right center field from LF Jeff Gelalich that made it 6-3. Two batters later, Pigott singled home Gelalich on a grounder to right, and it was 7-3.

RHP Evan Mitchell (S, 7) induced a double play to end the eighth, and worked around a pair of hits to close it out in the ninth.

Eight Tortugas reached base, seven scored runs, and five produced multiple hits. Bueno and CF Junior Arias each collected three singles, and Gelalich improved his batting average to .428 when batting second in the lineup.

The series continues in Tampa on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. ET. Reigning Florida State League Pitcher of the Week RHP Nick Travieso (5-5, 2.63 ERA) will get the start for the Tortugas. Fans can listen to the action on The Great Voice of Volusia County, AM 1230 and AM 1490 WSBB, starting with the D.B. Pickles Pregame Show at 6:50 p.m. ET.

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Florida State League Stories from August 20, 2015


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