Bats Battle Back to Beat Blue Jays, 4-2

DUNEDIN, Fla. — The Marauders persevered after an early two-run deficit on Wednesday afternoon to beat the Dunedin Blue Jays, 4-2, at TD Ballpark.

With the score tied, 2-2, the Marauders (29-35) placed two runners aboard in the top of the eighth inning, as Mike Jarvis led off with a double and Brenden Dixon worked a walk. After a shallow flyout by Wyatt Hendrie, Jarvis and Dixon pulled off a double steal behind Blue Jays (27-38) lefty Wilgenis Alvarado (3-2). Randy Romero lined a single to left field, plating Jarvis for the go-ahead run, and Jasiah Dixon followed by laying down a bunt single to score Brenden Dixon for a 4-2 lead.

Romero and Jasiah Dixon finished the game with three hits each, season-high marks for both players.

After scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth by Marauders left-hander Mitchell Miller (1-0), Dante Mendoza pitched the ninth for Bradenton and allowed a leadoff double to Jommer Hernandez before striking out Rikelbin de Castro. Amell Brazoban then reached on a dropped popup in shallow right-center by second baseman Deivis Nadal, but Mendoza recovered to get Jose Rivas to hit a one-hopper back to the mound, allowing Rivas to start a game-ending double play.

Starter Joelvis del Rosario set the tone on the mound for Bradenton, tossing his third quality start of the season by allowing just two runs across six innings. Del Rosario allowed two runs in the first, as a walk and a double set up a Roque Salinas RBI-groundout and an RBI-single by Rainer Nunez. But after the 27-pitch first inning, the right-hander settled down, holding Dunedin to just two hits and one walk over his final five innings.

Marauders bats, meanwhile, were slow out of the gate, as Jays starter Michael Dominguez fanned seven batters while walking none over four scoreless innings. But in the fifth, the Marauders grabbed their first run on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Jase Bowen, cutting the deficit to 2-1. After a Tsung-Che Cheng bunt single, however, Bradenton, left the bases full in the inning as reliever Kelvin Perez escaped the jam with a strikeout.

But in the top of the seventh, the Marauders tied the score on a Bowen RBI-double. The clutch hit extended Bowen’s hit streak to eight consecutive games, the longest active streak on the team.

Coming on the heels of Tuesday night’s 5-4 win, Wednesday’s victory gave the Marauders their first back-to-back road wins since May 21 and 22 at Palm Beach.

The series continues Thursday with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at TD Ballpark. RHP Po-Yu Chen will start for the Marauders against Blue Jays RHP Connor Cooke.

For more information about the Bradenton Marauders, please call (941) 747-3031, visit BradentonMarauders.com, or email [email protected].

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