Gonzalez gets first win, Mets edge Tortugas 4-3

photo by Ed Delany

Press Release:

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 2, 2018) – The St. Lucie Mets edged the Daytona Tortugas 4-3 on Monday at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

The Mets jumped out to an early 4-0 and held off the Tortugas to the very end.

In the bottom of the ninth Adam Atkins pitched around a leadoff single. He induced a game-ending pop out in foul ground to strand the tying run at third base.

Harol Gonzalez limited the Tortugas to two runs over six innings to earn his first Florida State League win. He scattered three hits, walked three and struck out four.

The Mets got on the board early with the long ball. Michael Paez and Luis Carpio hit solo home runs in the second inning against Tortugas starter Tommy Bergjans.

In the fourth inning Dash Winningham led off with a double. Wuilmer Becerra drove Winningham home with a RBI single. Becerra then stole second base and scored on a single by Dan Rizzie to make it 4-0 Mets.

Tyler Stephenson hit a two-run homer off Gonzalez in the bottom of the fourth to make it 4-2.

Michael Beltre lined a RBI single off of Mets reliever Austin McGeorge in the seventh inning to bring the Tortugas within a run. McGeorge escaped further trouble in the seventh by getting an inning-ending double play.

McGeorge pitched a perfect eighth inning for his second hold in four games.

The save for Atkins was his third of the season and second in three games.

Rizzie and Andres Gimenez had two hits apiece.

The Mets are 3-1 on their current road trip and they have won four of their last five games.