Tortugas Tie in Ninth, Walk to Win in Tenth
May 23, 2025 - Florida State League (FSL)
Daytona Tortugas News Release
JUPITER, Fla- Daytona tied the game in the ninth, then scored twice in the tenth, giving Air Force veteran Jake Gilbert his first win in three years and lifting the Daytona Tortugas to a 3-1 victory over the Palm Beach Cardinals on Friday night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
Daytona (18-25) earned their first extra-inning victory in five tries in 2025, as they victimized the Palm Beach (22-21) bullpen for seven walks over the final two innings to score all three runs without a single hit.
Both teams struggled to put together rallies early on, as Palm Beach's only runner in the first two innings was a leadoff single in the first that did not advance past second. That single was the only hit that the Tortugas starter Kenya Huggins allowed in his outing, with his only other runner being a leadoff walk in the third.
Huggins threw 4.0 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk, striking out four in his third consecutive scoreless start, running his scoreless string to 13.0 consecutive innings.
Daytona, though, could not find an answer against Palm Beach starter Jason Savacool, who did allow a hit in each of the first four innings, but did not either one to score. He then finished his outing with 1-2-3 fifth and sixth frames to throw 6.0 scoreless innings.
After Huggins departed in the fifth, JP Ortiz allowed a single and walk to put two on with one out. Deniel Ortiz then drilled a double to deep center to score the first run of the game, though he committed a blunder on the bases, being tagged out between second and third for a key second out that helped the Tortugas escape the inning with only one run allowed.
A leadoff double by Travis Honeyman in the sixth was followed by a passed ball that moved him to third with one out. However, Esmith Pineda snared a line drive in right and made a perfect throw home to cut down Honeyman to end the inning, preserving the 1-0 margin.
The score stayed 1-0 through the eighth as Ortiz finished off scoreless seventh and eight frames to work 4.0 innings of one-run ball. Palm Beach reliever Christian Worley did the same.
In the ninth, though, three straight walks off Cardinal reliever Mason Burns loaded the bases with one out for Jacob Friend, who lifted a sacrifice fly that score pinch-runner Kyle Henley to tie the game. Gilbert then entered in the bottom of the ninth and threw a 1-2-3 inning to send the game to extras.
In the tenth, a sacrifice bunt moved automatic runner Luis Reyes to third, who then immediately scored on a wild pitch to give Daytona the lead. Four straight walks followed from Cardinal pitcher Ernie Day, with Henley taking the final free pass to stretch the advantage to 3-1.
Gilbert (1-1) stayed on in the bottom of the tenth and plunked the first batter of the inning to put two on with no outs. However, he struck out the next three to emphatically close out his first win since 2022 and snap Daytona's four-game skid.
Daytona will play game five of a six-game series at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium against the Palm Beach Cardinals on Saturday night. First pitch will be at 6:00 p.m. with pregame coverage with the Voice of the Tortugas, Brennan Mense, will begin on the Tortugas Radio Network at 5:45.
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.
Florida State League Stories from May 23, 2025
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