After a 2:51 delay, the Tortugas and Fire Frogs battled late into Friday evening to get two games in as Daytona took the lid-lifter, 8-1, and Florida seized the night cap, 4-3 at Osceola County Stadium.

Game 1: Brett Langhorne got the Fire Frogs off to a strong start by doubling to lead off the first, then scoring on a wild pitch from RHP Wendolyn Bautista for a 1-0 Florida advantage.

Bautista (4-3) would go on to win his fourth straight start, holding the Frogs to two hits and an earned run with seven strikeouts over six innings. RHP John Ghyzel entered in a non-save situation and got the final three outs.

The Tortugas took the lead in the second on a two-run blast from Hendrik Clementina, who was freshly activated off the Injured List.

Daytona manufactured four runs in the fourth, grabbing four straight hits with one out against RHP Tristan Beck to do most of the damage. Drew Mount had an RBI double, Bruce Yari drove in two with a double of his own, and a passed ball brought in the other tally.

Yari would finish off his 2-3 effort with an RBI knock in the sixth, scoring Pabel Manzanero for a 7-1 lead. Manzanero had three hits in his Advanced-A debut.

Beck (2-2) allowed seven runs and nine hits in 5 and 1/3’s frames.

RHP Lukas Young surrendered a solo homer to Bryant Flete in the seventh. He scattered two other hits while recording five outs.

Kevin Josephina and Drew Lugbauer had hits for the Fire Frogs.

Game 2: Florida secured a first inning run on a nice hustle play by Andrew Moritz. He singled, stole a base, and came across a double play hit into by Jefrey Ramos to put Florida in front, 1-0.

Moritz picked up his 11th multi-hit effort by going 2-3 at the dish.

Yonathan Mendoza would knot the game at 1 with a long ball in the fourth. However, the Fire Frogs put four men on base in the bottom half, utilizing an error by Jose Garcia that enabled Ramos to reach. Josephina doubled and Zack Soria walked to load the bases. Garrison Schwartz laced a single to score Ramos for the lead, 2-1.

Tortugas starter RHP Aaron Fossas didn’t factor in the decision, permitting four hits and an earned run in four stanzas of work.

Daytona benefitted mightily from Florida mistakes in the fifth to regain the lead. With two outs, Garcia and Michael Beltre singled versus LHP Hayden Deal. A soft grounder from Alejo Lopez found its way under Langhorne’s glove and into center to plate Garcia. Manzanero hit a rocket right off the heel of Riley Delgado’s glove, sending Beltre scampering to the dish; 3-2 Tortugas.

Deal tossed five innings of three-run baseball, yielding seven hits and just one earned run with three Ks mixed in while drawing a no-decision.

RHP Aneurys Zabala spun a perfect fifth for the Tortugas out of the bullpen.

The Fire Frogs touched up RHP Julio Pinto in the bottom of the sixth. Ramos walked, advanced on a knock from Lugbauer, and scored on Josephina’s single to even the game. Soria notched a base hit ahead of Schwartz, who put together a patient at-bat and forced a Pinto wild pitch to move the runners up. When he singled down the third-base line Josephina was able to trot home with ease; 4-3 Florida.
Schwartz put together his sixth multiple-knock game of his Advanced-A season. Josephina extended his hitting streak to seven with a 2-3 line in game two.

Pinto (1-3) gave up multiple runs for the fourth time in his last six outings, being touched up for four hits, two walks, and two runs across three outs.

RHP Caleb Dirks (1-0) was money in relief of Deal, mowing down all six Tortugas he faced and picking up his first Fire Frogs win.

NEXT UP: RHP Nolan Kingham (4-8, 4.80) hopes to make it two wins in-a-row for the Fire Frogs opposite Daytona’s RHP Mac Sceroler (4-2, 4.40). First pitch is at 6 p.m.

A JAM-PACKED weekend of promotions awaits fans at Osceola County Stadium! Don’t miss out on discounted ticket prices, free shot glasses, and all of the fun at the Pond: https://www.milb.com/florida/tickets/promotions