Marauders Slug Seven Homers in Wacky Win

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Marauders rode a franchise-record seven home runs to a 13-10 win over the Dunedin Blue Jays on Saturday night at LECOM Park.

The seven home runs nearly doubled the previous franchise record of four home runs in a game, last accomplished by the Marauders (45-31) just one month prior on June 23 against Jupiter. Jase Bowen and Jack Herman led the way with two home runs each, while Maikol Escotto, Dariel Lopez, and Endy Rodriguez hit one solo homer each.

The Blue Jays (34-42) took a 1-0 lead off Marauders starter Adrian Florencio in the first inning on a Miguel Hiraldo RBI-groundout, but Escotto’s leadoff home run in the bottom half off Dunedin starter Nathanael Perez (1-2) immediately tied the score.

In the top of the second, Dunedin regained the lead, sending eight men to the plate against Florencio and getting RBI-singles from Mack Mueller and Steward Berroa for a 3-1 advantage. Florencio recovered to hold Dunedin scoreless the next two innings, but was finished after the fourth with a high pitch count.

Bradenton jumped in front in the bottom of the third, as Hudson Head delivered an RBI-single and Herman followed with a three-run homer to left field, giving the Marauders a 5-3 lead. Although the advantage was short lived, as Addison Barger clubbed a game-tying two-run homer down the right field line off new Marauder Carlos Campos (1-0) in the top of the fifth, the Marauders responded again in the bottom half, getting back-to-back solo homers from Rodriguez and Lopez to put Bradenton back in front, 7-5.

Perez surrendered seven runs on 10 hits, including four home runs—all career-highs—in his five innings for Dunedin.

Herman and Bowen slugged two-run homers in the sixth and seventh innings, respectively, helping pad the Marauders’ lead as the Blue Jays continued to battle back. A Bowen error on an attempted double-play flip plated one Dunedin run in the sixth, but Ryan Troutman inherited a bases-loaded jam from Campos and struck out Barger to end the threat. Troutman also picked off Harry Ray at second base to end a seventh-inning threat by the Jays.

The Blue Jays also trimmed the Marauders’ lead with two runs each in the seventh and eighth innings off Troutman and Enmanuel Mejia, but Dunedin never came closer than within two runs, thanks to Bradenton’s barrage of homers. Lopez also provided an RBI-double in the bottom of the eighth—his season-high fourth hit of the game—as extra insurance before Mejia pitched a clean ninth inning for the win.

Eight of nine Marauders players reached base safely in the 15-hit effort, which finished one shy of the club’s season-high, while all nine of Dunedin’s players reached base safely.

The series concludes Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m. at LECOM Park. RHP Jared Jones will start for the Marauders, while the Blue Jays have yet to announce their starter.

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

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