Stafura, Valdez Rip Three Hits Each in Ten-Inning Triumph

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FSL Daytona Tortugas

Stafura, Valdez Rip Three Hits Each in Ten-Inning Triumph

June 6, 2025 - Florida State League (FSL)
Daytona Tortugas News Release


LAKELAND, Fla - Sammy Stafura and Malvin Valdez each tallied three hits as the Daytona Tortugas squandered an early four-run lead and a two-run lead in the ninth, but rallied back to defeat the Lakeland Flying Tigers 10-8 in ten innings on Friday night at Joker Marchant Stadium.

Daytona (25-30) has now won three in a row after their second extra-innings victory of the season, having battered Lakeland (31-23) pitching for 21 runs over the last two nights.

In the top of the first inning, the Tortugas came out swinging against Lakeland starter Frank Elissalt. Kyle Henley singled on the first pitch of the game and Stafura moved him to third with a ground-rule double to left. Alfredo Duno followed with a sharp single through the left side, scoring both runners. After a Carlos Sanchez single, Elissalt struck out the next two, but an error on a ground ball to third scored both Duno and Sanchez to give Daytona a 4-0 lead.

Daytona starter Cole Schoenwetter threw a scoreless first, but Lakeland took advantage of a bout of wildness to score their first run in the second. The right-hander walked three in the inning, with Cristian Santana scoring on an Jose De La Cruz sacrifice fly to make it 4-1.

After Schoenwetter responded with a 1-2-3 third, Daytona had a chance to restore the four-run lead in the third. Luis Reyes doubled with one out, then with two outs Valdez pulled a hit through the left side. Reyes, however, was thrown out at the plate on a controversial call to end the inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, Santana led off with a solo homer, then Abel Bastidas singled with one out. Nick Sando entered with two outs, but Ricardo Hurtado greeted him with a double to left that trimmed the deficit to one run.

Sando retired the first two batters in the fifth, but Garrett Pennington drove a 3-2 pitch into the right-field bullpen for a solo home run that tied the game, 4-4. The lefty settled down with a 1-2-3 sixth, finishing off 2.1 innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts.

In the seventh, Daytona took back the lead. Valdez singled to right with one out then went to second on a bunt by Henley. Stafura then came up with his third hit of the night, a triple to left-center to score Valdez and put Daytona in front 5-4.

That lead was short-lived, though. A leadoff walk and one-out single set the stage for Pennington, who lined a two-run triple to right-center, putting the Flying Tigers in front for the first time, 6-5.

Daytona, though, rallied right back. Jacob Friend walked, stole second, went to third on a sacrifice, then beat the throw home on a chopper by pinch-hitter Esmith Pineda, tying the game. Valdez then walked and Henley singled, scoring Pineda to put the Tortugas back on top. Stafura then drove in his second run with a sacrifice fly, stretching the lead to 8-6.

In his Tortugas debut, Tristan Smith bounced back from his rocky seventh with a much better eighth, allowing a leadoff walk, but striking out the next three batters to end the inning.

In the ninth, though, Smith issued a leadoff walk, then gave way to Victor Diaz. After a strikeout, another walk put two on. Diaz induced a pop-up, but on an 0-1 pitch, Carson Rucker ripped a double to left-center, scoring both runners to tie the game at eight, sending the game to extra innings.

In the tenth, Reyes laid down a sacrifice bunt to begin the inning, but a play at third on the placed runner Friend was unsuccessful, putting runners on the corners for Pineda, who lifted a sacrifice fly to center that Friend again narrowly beat a throw home. Reyes moved to second on the play, then scored when Valdez connected for his third of the night, a single to right-center that put Daytona ahead 10-8.

With another two-run lead to protect, Diaz (2-1) redeemed himself in the bottom of the frame, setting down Lakeland 1-2-3, ending the game on a strikeout to nail down a 10-8, ten-inning victory.

Daytona plays game five of a six-game series against the Lakeland Flying Tigers on Friday night. Pregame coverage from Joker Marchant Stadium on Tuesday with the Voice of the Tortugas, Brennan Mense, will begin on the Tortugas Radio Network at 5:50 with first pitch at 6:00 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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Florida State League Stories from June 6, 2025


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