Ross Carries Perfect Game Into Sixth, Mighty Mussels Blank Flying Tigers 6-0
BOX SCORE Fort Myers, Fla. (July 26, 2025) - Michael Ross dazzled on the mound as the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels shutout the Lakeland Flying Tigers 6-0 on Saturday night at Hammond Stadium. Wearing their Miracle era throwbacks, Fort Myers (42-51, 15-14) starter Michael Ross (3-4) dominated Lakeland (58-33, 20-7)
Fort Myers, Fla. (July 26, 2025) - Michael Ross dazzled on the mound as the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels shutout the Lakeland Flying Tigers 6-0 on Saturday night at Hammond Stadium.
Wearing their Miracle era throwbacks, Fort Myers (42-51, 15-14) starter Michael Ross (3-4) dominated Lakeland (58-33, 20-7) and carried a perfect game into the sixth inning.
Ross went 15 up and 15 down through his first five innings of work, racking up four strikeouts in the process.
Michael Ross DOMINATED his hometown Flying Tigers tonight 🔥
— Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (@MightyMussels) July 26, 2025
6 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 5 K, 63 pitches with 49 strikes
He was perfect through the first five innings! 💪
It's the first quality start by a Fort Myers pitcher in 2025!! ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/q0swKsIUn8
The Flying Tigers finally reached base against Ross in the top of the sixth, as Stephen Hrustich worked a leadoff walk. Lakeland second baseman Junior Tilien then hit an infield single, marking the first hit of the night for Lakeland.
Ross retired the next three batters in order to polish off the first quality start of the season for any Fort Myers pitcher. He tossed six shutout innings and struck out five, while only allowing one hit and one walk.
Later in the game, the defense pulled off a Miracle of their own. With runners at first and second and no outs in the eighth, Lakeland second baseman Junior Tilien grounded a ball to Miracle third baseman Rayne Doncon. Doncon stepped on third for the first out, fired to the second baseman Yohander Martinez for the second out, who then threw to Peyton Carr at first to record the first triple play of the season for Fort Myers.
🚨TRIPLE PLAY, I REPEAT, TRIPLE PLAY🚨
— Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (@MightyMussels) July 26, 2025
Doncon to Martinez to Carr as we go alllllllll the way around the horn on Miracle night to turn 3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/M8hwZzAq5C
The Miracle scored their first run of the game in the bottom of the third. Caleb McNeely singled to lead off the frame, and later touched the plate on an error by Flying Tigers’ shortstop Samuel Gil to make it 1-0 Miracle.
An inning later, Carr roped a ground-rule double to right center. That set up a McNeely RBI single to extend the Miracle margin to 2-0.
Ross exited after the sixth and gave way to Brennan Oxford. Oxford induced three flyouts to set down Lakeland in order in the seventh.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Miracle blew the game open. Martinez led off the inning with a walk and Jefferson Valladares followed with a single. Martinez then scored after Dameury Pena grounded into a fielder’s choice to give Fort Myers a 3-0 lead. Flying Tiger third baseman Carson Rucker made an errant throw on the play, which allowed everyone to be safe.
The next batter, Yasser Mercedes, lashed a three-run homer onto the berm in left field to double the Fort Myers lead, 6-0. It was Mercedes’ seventh long ball of the campaign.
Oxford allowed the first two Lakeland batters to reach in the top of the eighth before the defense turned the triple play behind him.
Ruddy Gomez recorded a strikeout and faced the minimum in the ninth to complete the fourth Fort Myers shutout of the season.
The 1:58 minute time of game marked the fastest nine inning contest of the season.
The series between the Mussels and the Flying Tigers concludes on Sunday at Hammond Stadium, with Eli Jones (0-1, 3.05) set to start on the mound for Fort Myers. First pitch is set for 12:05 p.m. with coverage beginning at 11:45 a.m. on the Mighty Mussels Baseball Network.