Marauders Fall to Mets in 10 Innings
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The Marauders carried a four-run advantage into the ninth inning on Thursday night, but the bullpen was unable to hold the lead in a 10-inning walkoff loss, 6-5, to the St. Lucie Mets at Clover Park. The loss was the Marauders’ fifth in their last
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — The Marauders carried a four-run advantage into the ninth inning on Thursday night, but the bullpen was unable to hold the lead in a 10-inning walkoff loss, 6-5, to the St. Lucie Mets at Clover Park.
The loss was the Marauders’ fifth in their last six games, the team’s first 1-5 stretch this season.
With the score tied, 5-5, the Marauders (42-26) loaded the bases with none out in the top of the 10th inning, as Jack Herman walked and Alexander Mojica singled, pushing extra-inning runner Endy Rodriguez to third. But as Reyson Santos (3-2) replaced Brailin Gonzalez on the mound for St. Lucie (37-32), Bradenton lost momentum, as Ernny Ordonez and Jase Bowen struck out and Daniel Rivero flied out to right field, leaving the bases loaded.
In the bottom of the 10th, Omar de los Santos led off with an infield single, moving extra-inning runner Jaylen Palmer to third. Enmanuel Mejia (3-1) then intentionally walked Jose Peroza to load the bases. After striking out Warren Saunders, Mejia allowed a groundball single to center field by Alex Ramirez, plating Palmer for the winning run.
Bradenton had entered the bottom of the ninth inning with a 5-1 lead. But after two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, right-hander Eddy Yean struggled in his third frame. A double, an error, and a single loaded the bases with none out, and after walking Saunders to force home a run, Yean was lifted in favor of Mejia. The right-hander allowed three straight singles, the last of which by Matt Dyer tied the score at 5-5. Mejia went on to record two strikeouts and a lineout, leaving the bases loaded and sending the game to the 10th.
The Marauders struck first in the game on a Mojica RBI-single in the second inning to score Rodriguez, who had doubled to extend his on-base streak to 18 games. A fourth-inning RBI-single by de los Santos briefly tied the score for St. Lucie, 1-1, but Bradenton immediately regained the lead in the fifth, as Rodriguez delivered a go-ahead sacrifice fly and Herman lined a two-run double for a 4-1 lead. Maikol Escotto added a solo homer in the top of the ninth—his first home run in a month—to give Bradenton its 5-1 advantage.
The defeat spoiled a brilliant start by Domingo Gonzalez, who allowed just three hits and one unearned run across six innings for the Marauders, striking out six. It also overshadowed Bradenton’s otherwise strong offensive showing; the team recorded 15 hits, one shy of the club’s season-high, and all nine Marauders players recorded a hit, including a career-high five hits for Mojica.
The series continues Friday with first pitch scheduled for 6:10 p.m. at Clover Park. RHP Logan Hofmann will start for the Marauders against LHP Franklin Parra for the Mets.
For more information about the Bradenton Marauders, please call (941) 747-3031, visit BradentonMarauders.com, or email [email protected].