Marauders Battle Back But Drop Third Straight

BRADENTON, Fla. — A late home run Thursday night by Anthony Garcia lifted the visiting Tampa Tarpons over the Marauders, 5-3, at LECOM Park.

With the score tied, 3-3, in the top of the eighth inning, Marauders (2-4, 31-40) right-hander Darvin Garcia issued a leadoff walk to Jasson Dominguez. After a strikeout, Garcia belted a go-ahead, two-run homer to left field to give Tampa (5-1, 32-40) the lead.

Bailey Dees earned the win in relief for the Tarpons, tossing two and two-thirds scoreless innings from the seventh into the ninth, striking out four. Gerrit van Zijll ended the game with a three-pitch strikeout of Deivis Nadal.

The evening began on a bleak note for Bradenton, as starter Wilkin Ramos walked Alexander Vargas to open the game, Dominguez followed with an infield single, and Austin Wells slugged a three-run homer to right field for a 3-0 Tampa lead with none out. After just one pitch to the following batter, Ramos was removed from the game with an apparent injury.

Right-hander Cristian Charle took over for the injured Ramos and went on to retire all nine batters he faced across three innings, striking out five.

Promptly following Tampa’s early lead on the Wells homer, the Marauders mounted a threat in the bottom of the first inning, loading the bases with none out on two walks and a hit-by-pitch. But a Randy Romero walk to force a run home would be the only run the Marauders could manage in the frame against Tarpons starter Juan Carela, as Bradenton left the bases full.

Carela would finish with a season-high five walks but struck out seven, holding Bradenton to two runs across his four innings. In his final inning of work, Carela allowed a solo homer to Mike Jarvis, bringing the Marauders within one run, 3-2.

Rodolfo Nolasco tied the game for the Marauders with an opposite-field solo shot in the bottom of the fifth off left-hander Ryan Anderson, but Bradenton’s bats faltered after the game-tying shot, failing to place a runner into scoring position from the sixth inning onward.

Right-hander Sebastian Rodriguez, in just his second Single-A appearance for the Marauders, kept the game within reach by tossing three scoreless innings behind Charle. Dante Mendoza pitched a perfect ninth inning for Bradenton and has now held the opposition scoreless in six of his last seven outings.

The series continues Friday with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at LECOM Park. RHP Po-Yu Chen will start for the Marauders, while RHP Richard Fitts will start for Tampa.

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

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