FORT MYERS, Fla. (May 31, 2026) - The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels rallied to defeat the Jupiter Hammerheads by a final score of 5-4 on Sunday afternoon at Lee Health Sports Complex.
After falling in the first game on Tuesday, the Mussels (29-22) won the final five games of the series. Fort Myers finishes the regular season matchup with a 10-2 record against Jupiter (28-23) after taking five of six at Roger Dean Stadium in April.
The Mussels’ trailed 4-0 after two innings but scored five unanswered runs to secure the win. Michael Hilker Jr. and Mike McKenna (2-2) combined to retire the final 15 batters of the game.
Fort Myers sent Reed Moring to the mound to make his sixth start of the season. Moring allowed a two-out RBI single by Esmil Valencia in the first inning to make it 1-0 Jupiter.
Manuel Genao started his second game against the Mussels this season. He struck out the side in the bottom of the first.
In the top of the second, a two-out rally expanded the Hammerhead lead. A key throwing error by third baseman Henry Kusiak opened the door for Jose Monserrate, who roped a two-run double. The next batter was Emilio Barreras, who added a run-scoring single to make it 4-0.
The Mighty Mussels responded in the bottom of the third. Minnesota Twins No. 14 prospect Quentin Young muscled an opposite-field, solo home run to put his team on the board. For Young, his fifth home run of the season left the bat at 97.7 mph and made it 4-1.
Moring was relieved in the top of the fourth with two outs by Hilker Jr., who induced a first-pitch line out to retire the side.
In the top of the fifth inning, after the Hammerheads got runners at second and third with no one out, Hilker Jr. retired the next three batters to keep the deficit at 4-1.
The Mussels parlayed that momentum into a rally in the bottom half. After the first two batters reached, Luis Fragoza continued his big week with a two-run double over the centerfielder’s head to cut the deficit to one. Fragoza totaled four extra-base hits this week while driving in six.
After Hilker Jr.’s high-wire act in the fifth, he set the Jupiter lineup down in order in both the sixth and seventh innings. Hilker Jr. finished his outing by retiring the final eight he faced.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Mussels’ offense rallied to tie the game. With help from Jake Faherty, who put the first three on without a ball put in play, Yilber Herrera executed a sac fly to even the score at 4-4.
McKenna relieved Hilker Jr. in the eighth. McKenna retired the side in order with two strikeouts.
Facing Luis De La Cruz (2-2) in the bottom of the eighth, JP Smith II walked with one out, then stole second base. The next batter was Graham Brown, who knocked a go-ahead single into center field to give Fort Myers its first lead of the day, 5-4.
McKenna worked a 1-2-3 top of the ninth inning to close out Fort Myers’ fifth straight victory.
The Mighty Mussels begin a series in Lakeland against the Flying Tigers on Tuesday, June 2. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. with coverage beginning at 6:15 p.m. on the Mighty Mussels Baseball Network. There will be audio only broadcasts available for the first five games of the series.