Game Recap and Highlights: St. Lucie Mets Outslug Tortugas 11-7 to Take Series Opener

St. Lucie Mets Via Twitter

Vargas reaches base 5 times, Perozo goes 3 for 5 with 3B and 3 RBI

 

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (September 5, 2023) – The St. Lucie Mets woke up the bats and hammered the Daytona Tortugas 11-7 on Tuesday night at Clover Park (Box Score). 

The Mets tied their season high with 13 hits. All nine Mets in the lineup reached base. Vincent Perozo went 3 for 5 with triple, double, single, three RBI and two runs scored. He grounded out in his final at-bat to finish a homer shy of the cycle. Leadoff hitter Marco Vargas reached base five out of six trips to the plate. He recorded two hits and drew three walks. 

Daytona took an early lead on a two-out, two-run single by Ethan O'Donnell in the second inning. 

The Mets scored the next seven runs, including six in the third inning when they sent 12 batters to the plate. The big hit in the inning came when Perozo ripped a three-run triple down the first base line to give the Mets a 4-2 lead. The Mets added two more in the inning on a bases loaded walk and a run-scoring wild pitch to go up 6-2. 

Diego Mosquera blooped a RBI single into right field in the fourth inning to extend his hitting streak to eight games and the Mets lead to 7-2. 

The Tortugas rallied back in the fifth. Cam Collier hit a RBI single and Dominic Pitelli worked a bases loaded walk to make it 7-4. With the bases reloaded with one out, Mets reliever Wilson Lopez struck out back-to-back hitters to preserve the lead. 

The Mets appeared to break the game open in the sixth with three more runs. They loaded the bases with no outs but Daytona reliever Joseph Menefee struck out the next two. Yohairo Cuevas got the Mets off the hook when he laced a 2-2 pitch into left for a two-run single that pushed the lead to 10-4. Vargas worked another bases loaded walk later in the inning for an 11-4 advantage. 

Elliot Johnstone pitched a perfect seventh and eighth inning with four combined strikeouts. Johnstone retired the first batter of the ninth but then the Tortugas began to rally. O'Donnell slugged a homer to make it 11-5. The next two batters singled and Yassel Pino drew a walk to load the bases. After Johnstone struck out Pitelli for the second out, Jack Moss hit a two-run single that made it 11-7. 

Ariel Almonte walked to load the bases and bring the tying run to the plate. Eric Foggo replaced Johnstone and fell behind Juan Garcia 3-0 before fighting back to get Garcia to ground out to Mosquera at second base to end the game. 

Foggo was credited with the one out save. It was his second of the season. 

Christopher Vasquez, the first Mets reliever out of the bullpen, earned his first win of the season. He logged 3.0 innings and allowed two runs on three hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out three. 

Daytona starter Juan Martinez took the loss. He gave up five runs on six hits over 2.1 innings. 

O'Donnell went 4 for 5 with three RBI in the loss for Daytona. 

The game took three hours and 27 minutes which was the longest game of the season for the Mets. 

The Mets (42-82, 17-42) and Tortugas (54-70, 25-34) play the second game of their series at Clover Park on Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 2:10 p.m.

 

Jack Wenninger, the @Mets 2023 6th round draft pick, makes his debut for the St. Lucie Mets. The 6-foot-4 RHP goes 1.1 innings, 2 runs, 2 ER, 1 hit, 2 walks, 3 Ks. #Mets #LGM #MetsTwitter @ernestdove @MiLBMetsMadness @bkfan09 @WexlerRules @ImAriBeRKO @bronxfanatic pic.twitter.com/NCuy9WggGK

— Mets News and Links (@JohnFromAlbany) September 6, 2023

Big night for Marco Vargas as he reaches base 5 times to lead the @stluciemets to a 11-7 win, 2 for 3 with 3 walks, 2 RBIs, 1 run scored #Mets #LGM #MetsTwitter @ernestdove @MiLBMetsMadness @bkfan09 @WexlerRules @ImAriBeRKO @bronxfanatic pic.twitter.com/Jh8v4GK60Y

— Mets News and Links (@JohnFromAlbany) September 6, 2023

Vincent Perozo goes 3 for 5 with a double, triple, 2 runs scored and 3 RBIs as the @stluciemets win 11-7 on Monday. #Mets #LGM #MetsTwitter @ernestdove @MiLBMetsMadness @bkfan09 @WexlerRules @ImAriBeRKO @bronxfanatic pic.twitter.com/kKA5qfBJ13

— Mets News and Links (@JohnFromAlbany) September 6, 2023

Diego Mosquera makes a nice play with the tying run at the plate as the @stluciemets win 11-7. #Mets #LGM #MetsTwitter @ernestdove @MiLBMetsMadness @bkfan09 @WexlerRules @ImAriBeRKO @bronxfanatic pic.twitter.com/5nHRfqh69m

— Mets News and Links (@JohnFromAlbany) September 6, 2023