Marauders Trade Blasts With Cards in Loss

BRADENTON, Fla. - In the second series of the 2018 season at LECOM Park between the Bradenton Marauders and the Palm Beach Cardinals, power reigned supreme at the visitors hit three of the four home runs hit on Thursday night. Tyler Gaffney provided the lone long ball of the evening for the Marauders with the second such blast of his career in the eighth inning to bring the score to 7-5, the eventual final. 

    Oddy Nunez started on the mound for the home team coming off his first loss of the year in his last time out, and continued the streak to two in a row, taking the loss while tossing five innings. The left-hander allowed five runs, all earned, on eight hits while walking one and striking out three. Michael Wallace threw three innings out of the bullpen giving up a pair of unearned runs while striking out four and tossing 43 pitches. Angel German penned a scoreless ninth inning even after he walked a better then allowed a base hit before getting a ground-out to escape the jam.

   Top offensive performers included Tyler Gaffney, who hit his second homer of the year to left field to plate the last runs of the game, and Adrian Valerio who knocked a 2-RBI single in the three run second inning that also saw Jared Oliva earn a run batted in on a bases loaded walk in the second inning. The loss pushes Palm Beach ahead of Bradenton by a half a game, trailing first-place Jupiter in the FSL's South Division by 2.5 and three games respectively. 

   Bradenton continues their three game series against Palm Beach of Friday, Faith and Family Night at LECOM Park, with RHP Luis Escobar on the hill and opposed by LHP Evan Kruczynski for Palm Beach with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 pm on Friday night. Catch all the action with Matt Neverett on the Bradenton Marauders Baseball Network by visiting BradentonMarauders.com, TuneIn Radio, or the MiLB First Pitch app!