One out from a quiet opening-night loss, the Mudhens did what this club has done for twenty-eight summers: they put the ball in play and ran. Three straight ninth-inning singles — capped by Danny Ruiz's liner into the left-center gap — turned an 8–10 deficit into a 12–8 walk-off win over the Mighty Falcons in front of 1,180 fans at Whitaker Field.
The Falcons had punished two early errors to build a five-run lead by the fourth. Starter Owen Pryor steadied after that, retiring eleven of the last thirteen hitters he faced and keeping the dugout believing. "Nobody panicked," said head coach Ray Delgado. "This group has been down before. They just kept stacking good at-bats."
The rally
Down two in the eighth, Cole Bennett launched a two-run double off the base of the wall to tie it — his third hit of the night. The Falcons scratched one back in the top of the ninth on a sacrifice fly, setting the stage for the bottom half: walk, single, and then Ruiz, hitting .310 last summer, jumping a first-pitch fastball.
"I was just trying to stay inside it and find grass. When the crowd stood up, I knew it was going to get down." — Danny Ruiz, shortstop
What it means
The win opens the home slate at 1–0 and sets up Friday's rematch with Jacksonville, the club the Mudhens trail by a game in the early league table. First pitch is 7:05 PM, and the first 200 kids through the gate get replica caps.
Tickets for the Jacksonville series are on sale now — Friday nights at Whitaker Field have sold out three summers running, so book early.
