Weekend wrap-up: Two Mighty Mussels players set season records
Jones, Tinney lead Mighty Mussels to second straight historic win
FORT MYERS, – The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels recorded the third 20-run game in franchise history (since 1992) with their 20-3 win over the Palm Beach Cardinals Sunday afternoon at Hammond Stadium.
The offensive outburst was the second 20+ run performance of the season, trailing just the 24 runs on May 30 earlier this season for the all-time record. The 17-run differential today was the largest margin of victory of the campaign.
Eight of Fort Myers’ starters recorded hits and six of them had multiple hits, with Aidan Teel, Luis Fragoza and Charlie Scholvin each registering three. For Teel and Scholvin, it is the first three-hit days of their professional careers.
Mussels’ (54-46, 17-18) starter Merit Jones climbed the record books on the mound. The righty now has the most strikeouts in a single season in the Mussels’ era (since 2020) with 102 and sits second in innings pitched with 93.2.
“It’s truly a blessing,” Jones said postgame. “I am grateful I have gotten so many opportunities here.”
With five strikeouts across four innings today, Jones leaped ahead of Pierson Ohl who had 101 strikeouts in 91.2 innings during the 2022 season. Jones leads the Florida State League in innings this season.
His lone blemish was a three-run homer allowed to Cardinals’ (52-49, 19-16) first baseman Trevor Haskins in the second inning. Jones retired eight of the final nine men he faced after allowing the homer.
“The offense put up a big inning which gave me a chance to mentally reset,” Jones said, crediting his teammates for being able to bounce back later in his start.
Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the second, Fort Myers rallied for their best inning of the season. With two outs and a man at second, the Mussels began a streak of 10 consecutive batters reaching base safely. The two-out rally started with six straight hits and was kicked off by the first professional hit for Scholvin. Two batters later, Ramiro Dominguez tied the game with a two-run double. It was his 21st double of the season, tied for third in the FSL.
Vahn Lackey followed with a go-ahead single to make it 4-3. Carson Tinney then blasted his first professional hit, a two-run homer on the berm in left. The shot set a franchise record for exit velocity at 114.9 mph.
“It’s pretty cool,” Tinney said. “It’s a ton of fun seeing the guys come together and play as a team…. Ending the week on two good wins gives us a lot of momentum leading into next week.”
Fragoza capped the 10-run inning with a grand slam to left center. The 10 runs were a season-high in a single-inning and the eighth hits tied for the most in an inning. In total, 14 men came to the plate and all 10 runs scored with two outs.
Scholvin recorded both his first and second professional hit in the same inning.
Fort Myers added another pair of runs in the third, thanks to two Palm Beach errors, extending the lead 12-3.
Matthew Dalquist (2-3) took over on the mound in the fifth. He retired all nine batters he faced across the fifth, sixth and seventh inning.
The Mussels saw six straight men reach in the sixth inning against Justin Milletello. The Cardinals then brought in Jesus Garcia to face Teel with the bases loaded, no outs, and two runs already in. After a strikeout, an infield single from Fragoza coupled with another error extended the lead to 17-3. Fort Myers batted around for the second time in the game, scoring five runs on just two hits in the frame.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Mighty Mussels brought seven more men to the plate. Colby Turner lashed a two-run double and Teel drove in a run on a double of his own to make it 20-3.
Michael Hilker Jr. worked the final two frames in the win, striking out four hitters. Between Jones, Dalquist and Hilker, Fort Myers pitching retired 21 of the final 23 batters they faced.
The Mussels have now scored double-digit runs in 16 games this season, moving into a tie with Palm Beach for the most 10+ run outbursts in the FSL in 2026.
The Mighty Mussels hit the road for a six-game series with the Bradenton Marauders on Tuesday, Aug. 4. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. with coverage beginning at 6:15 p.m. on the Mighty Mussels Baseball Network.
Fort Myers sets all-time franchise record with 104 home runs on Smith’s walk-off blast
FORT MYERS – The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels set the franchise’s single-season home run record in an 8-7 walk-off win over the Palm Beach Cardinals in 10 innings Saturday night at Hammond Stadium.
JP Smith II’s walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning broke a tie with the 2023 Mighty Mussels for the most home runs in a single season in franchise history (since 1992) with homer No. 104.
“We have some hitters, man,” Smith said postgame. “We’ve all gotten better… it’s cool to see everyone develop and that your work will pay off one day.”
Smith’ swing set a pair of records. The first baseman now stands alone in the Mussels’ era (since 2020) with 15 home runs on the season, passing Brandon Winokur (2024) on the game-winner. Smith accomplished this feat in 97 fewer at-bats and 22 fewer games played.
“Records are meant to be broken,” he said.
It was the first walk-off home run of Smith’s amateur and professional baseball career.
Minnesota Twins No. 3 draft pick Vahn Lackey recorded his first professional hit and RBI tonight. Lackey’s first knock came in the third inning, on a broken-bat flare to drive in a run. His second knock was an opposite field single, away from a shifted infield.
The backstop also added his first pair of caught stealing’s behind the plate.
“The draft guys have definitely brought a spark to the locker room,” JP Smith said. “I feel like we’ve been playing with these guys all year.”
Ramiro Villanueva made his first start for the Mussels in 26 days, after coming out of the bullpen for the majority of July. Villanueva registered bookend strikeouts in a scoreless frame.
In the top of the second inning, Trevor Haskins delivered a two-out, two-run single to put the Cardinals up 2-0. It took Villanueva 27 pitches to retire the side in each of his two innings.
Fort Myers got runners in scoring position with no one out in the bottom of the frame on a walk from Colby Turner and a double by Luis Fragoza. Cardinals No. 24 prospect Cade Crossland subsequently struck out the next three batters, stranding two in scoring position.
Dylan Questad took over in the third, allowing an unearned run and striking out two.
After Merphy Hernandez was hit by a pitch earlier in the inning, Lackey’s first pro hit drove him in and got Fort Myers on the board, making it 3-1.
After Palm Beach struck for another run in the top of the fourth, the Mussels’ offense went to work in the bottom half. Fort Myers loaded the bases on a double from Smithand walks by Luis Fragoza and Quentin Young.
Twins’ 13th rounder Isaiah Lane delivered the big hit, smoking a game-tying, bases-clearing triple to right-center field. The three RBI were Lane’s first of his professional career.
“The new guys stepped up big for us… they didn’t miss a thing” Smith added.
On the very next pitch, Hernandez ripped a go-ahead RBI single into center field to put Fort Myers in front, 5-4.
In the top of the fifth, with two outs, Jonathan Mejia hit a two-run home run off Hendry Chivilli to right field to give the Cardinals a 6-5 advantage. Chivilli threw three innings, giving up two earned runs and striking out four.
Jake Murray worked two scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth, registering three strikeouts.
The draftees combined to level the score in the bottom of the seventh. With Lackey at second and two out, Turner tore into a game-tying double down the left field line.
Adam Falinski took over for Fort Myers in the ninth. Aided by a 4-6-3 double play started by Ramiro Dominguez, Falinski faced the minimum in the inning.
Fort Myers went in order in the ninth against Yadiel Batista, sending the game to extra innings.
Jonathan Stevens (5-2) took over as the sixth Mussel pitcher of the night. Stevens allowed the automatic runner to score on a sacrifice fly but recorded a key strikeout of Alex Birge to strand two runners in scoring position.
With two outs and the automatic runner still at second, a wild pitch by Palm Beach pitcher Zeke Wood (2-2) forced an errant throw from the Palm Beach catcher, allowing Carson Tinney to score his first professional run.
Smith’s record-setting walk-off bomb came on a 3-2 breaking ball, delivering a dramatic victory for the Mighty Mussels.
Fort Myers improved to 7-4 in extra innings and 4-2 at home. Four of the six walk-off wins have come on home runs.
2026 FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS HOME RUN BREAKDOWN:
JP Smith II – 15 (single-season Mussels’ era record)
Quentin Young – 13 Jayson Bass – 13 Luis Fragoza – 10
Ramiro Dominguez – 9 Byron Chourio – 7 Yasser Mercedes – 6
Ryan Sprock – 5 Irvin Nunez – 4 Eduardo Beltre – 3
Harry Genth – 2 Merphy Hernandez – 2 Enrique Jimenez – 2
Quinn McDaniel – 2 Graham Brown – 1 Ian Daugherty – 1
Luis Hernandez – 1 Yilber Herrera – 1 Walker Jenkins – 1
Henry Kusiak – 1 Ricardo Paez – 1 Dameury Pena – 1
Ricardo Pena – 1 Alan Roden – 1 Jake Rucker – 1
Offense struggles despite nine walks, Mussels drop third in a row
FORT MYERS – The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels were defeated by the Palm Beach Cardinals 2-1 in front of a crowd of 2,798 Friday night at Hammond Stadium.
Fort Myers (52-46, 15-18) walked nine times, including two innings with three walks, but only paid off one of those free passes. They made three outs on the base paths and left eight others on base.
Minnesota Twins No. 26 prospect Matt Barr made his Hammond Stadium debut tonight. Barr registered bookend strikeouts in the top of the first inning, and struck out four Cardinals (52-47, 19-14) through the first two innings.
Facing St. Louis Cardinals No. 6 prospect Brandon Clarke, the Mighty Mussels drew three walks in the first inning, but a 6-4-3 double play thwarted a would-be rally to keep the game scoreless.
In the bottom of the second, Fort Myers benefited from two Palm Beach errors to take the lead. Bryan Acuna drove in Charlie Scholvin on a groundout to first base.
Barr’s night was over after four scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out five over 47 pitches.
Callan Fang (3-3) took over in the fifth. After allowing a leadoff single to JP Cabrera, Fang surrendered a run-scoring single to Jonathan Mejia as Palm Beach tied the game at one.
In the top of the seventh, with Fang still on, Trevor Haskins rocketed a solo home run to give Palm Beach their first lead of the night. With one out, Mike McKenna came on to get the final two outs.
McKenna continued into the eighth, where he needed 14 pitches to retire the side in order.
Nelfy Ynfante (S4) retired six of the seven batters he faced over the final two innings to close out the game.
Fort Myers finished the month of July with a record of 8-16, failing to reach 10 wins in a month for the first time this season. The Mussels ranked last in Single-A in batting average (.218) in July after pacing the level in average in June.