Jupiter, FL – The Palm Beach Cardinals (73-57, 33-30) and the Daytona Tortugas (49-80, 16-48) met for the final time in 2017, with the Cardinals taking the 4-1 win on Wednesday Night.
Ramon Santos got the start for Dann Bilardello’s Cardinals and tossed seven, one run innings, giving up only four hits on the evening. Santos walked none and struck out seven batters on the night.
The game was back and forth throughout the first four and a half innings as neither team could capitalize with base runners on. Palm Beach jumped out first with a three run fifth inning. Thomas Spitz led off the fifth with a walk and got to second on a Chris Chinea one out single. Leobaldo Pina hit a single of his own to drive Spitz across for the first run of the game. Edmundo Sosa doubled in Chinea to make it 2-0 and Brian O’Keefe pushed across the third run with his single and pushed the Daytona starter from the game with a 3-0 deficit in the fifth.
Daytona grabbed a run back in the top of the sixth as Malik Collymore singled and got to second on a sacrifice bunt. Alfredo Rodriguez drove in Collymore for the only Tortuga run of the evening. The game was 3-1 Cardinals after five and a half.
Palm Beach grabbed the run back in the sixth as Jose Martinez walked and got to second on a Thomas Spitz ground out. Chinea singled through the left side for a 4-1 lead over Daytona.
Santos turned it over to Estarlin Arias, who just came off the DL earlier in the day, and tossed a scoreless eighth. Brady Bowen got his first save of the season by throwing a scoreless ninth with an inning-ending double play.
