Marauders Top Jupiter in Walk-off Winner

 BRADENTON, FL - In the first game of the season between the Bradenton Marauders and the Jupiter Hammerheads, it took ten innings to decide a winner on Thirsty Thursday at LECOM Park, with the home side sending a crowd of 1,201 happy with a 3-2 walk-off victory. 

   With the score knotted at two heading in to the bottom half of the first extra frame, OF Cal Mitchell looped a single to right-center field to move INF Nick Franklin, who started the inning on second base, to third and 3B Dylan Busby was intentionally walked to set 1B Lucas Tancas up with a grand opportunity, and the second year Marauder came through clutch driving a ball over the head of a drawn in outfield to left and earned his sixth RBI of the season on his second hit of the night. Bradenton got on the board initially in the second inning trailing 1-0 when OF Chris Sharpe clubbed his second home run of the past three Marauders games to left field to tie the score at one. After Cal Mitchell drove in a run on a seventh inning double, Hammerheads 1B Lazaro Alonso roped a line drive over the left field fence in the top of the ninth inning to bring the score even in a contest that would eventually be walked-off. 

   RHP Cody Bolton turned in five innings of solid pitching, allowing a single unearned run the very first inning on an error while allowing just four hits total with a pair of walks and three strikeouts in his third start. RHP Luis Escobar also kept his ERA at a perfect 0.00 with two innings of one hit, two strikeout ball. RHP Joel Cesar blew his first save of 2019, but was picked up with his second win out of the bullpen on the walk-off effort. 

The Marauders and Hammerheads will square off tomorrow at LECOM Park at 6:30, with LHP Domingo Robles making his fourth start of the season. Catch all the action with Matt Neverett on the Bradenton Marauders Baseball Network by visiting BradentonMarauders.com, TuneIn Radio, MiLB.tv, or the MiLB First Pitch app!