Marauders Walk All Over Daytona for 10-5 Win

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Marauders took advantage of 12 Daytona walks on Thursday night, mixing in some timely hits to bounce back from two different deficits in a 10-5 win at LECOM Park.

Trailing 5-4 entering the bottom of the seventh, the Marauders (21-12) got a leadoff walk from Endy Rodriguez. After a fielder’s choice grounder, Ernny Ordonez walked, knocking Tortugas (14-19) reliever Jake Gozzo (0-3) from the game. Ricky Karcher entered to pitch, and after striking out Hudson Head, walked two batters in a row, the latter of which was a six-pitch walk to Dariel Lopez that forced the tying run home. Karcher soon uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Ordonez to race home with the go-ahead run.

The Marauders added four insurance runs in the eighth to stretch the lead to 10-5, getting a two-run double from Ordonez, a sacrifice fly by Jase Bowen, and a run-scoring balk by Luis Mey. Enmanuel Mejia (2-0) pitched a scoreless ninth, working around a pair of walks and a wild pitch.

The game lasted four hours and 12 minutes, the longest of any Marauders game this season.

Marauders starter Eddy Yean allowed a first-inning RBI-triple to Garrett Wolforth, and after holding Daytona scoreless the next two innings, saw the visitors’ lead grow to 3-0 in the fourth inning on an RBI-double by Danny Lantigua and an RBI-single by Reyny Reyes. Yean went on to strike out a season-high seven batters, but was charged with three runs on a season-high five hits.

The Marauders, though, pushed back in the bottom of the fourth, as Ordonez and Sammy Siani each scored from third on wild pitches, trimming the deficit to 3-2. In the fifth, Bradenton loaded the bases and tied the score on a Siani sacrifice fly, then took a 4-3 lead on an Ordonez RBI-single to left field.

That lead disappeared in the seventh inning, though, as the Tortugas plated two runs—both on wild pitches by Mejia—to retake the lead, 5-4.

Sergio Umana provided two and one-thirds scoreless innings in relief of Yean, striking out four. But Xavier Concepcion followed by walking two and was charged with the two runs that scored on Mejia’s wild pitches in the seventh.

Hudson Head went 0-for-4 for the Marauders but drew a walk in the second inning, extending his hitting streak to 21 games. Ordonez led Bradenton with three RBI in the winning effort.

The series continues Friday with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 p.m. at LECOM Park. RHP Domingo Gonzalez (0-3, 5.40 ERA) will pitch for the Marauders against RHP Carson Rudd (1-3, 4.02 ERA) for the Tortugas.