Marauders Walk It off on Mother's Day, 6-5

BRADENTON, Fla. — After losing a three-run lead in the top of the ninth inning Sunday afternoon, the Marauders took advantage of a bloop double and an error in the home half for a walk-off, 6-5 win at LECOM Park.

With two out in the bottom of the ninth and the score tied, 5-5, Jacob Gonzalez reached second base for the Marauders (15-12) when Tarpons (13-13) infielders Anthony Garcia and Luis Santos lost sight of Gonzalez’s popup in shallow right field. Juan Jerez then lifted a fly ball to right fielder Alan Mejia, who dropped the ball, allowing Gonzalez to score the winning run.

The walk-off win was the Marauders’ fourth of the season, and Gonzalez’s double, as well as a walk, stretched his on-base streak to 24 games.

Bradenton had entered the ninth with a 5-2 lead. But with Johan Montero (1-0) on the mound, Tampa got a leadoff double from Jasson Dominguez and a walk by Garcia. After a wild pitch advanced both runners, Madison Santos followed with a single to right field, where Marauders right fielder Rodolfo Nolasco misplayed the ball, allowing both Dominguez and Garcia to score and Santos to reach third base. After a strikeout, Alan Mejia hit a grounder to second baseman Mike Jarvis, whose throw home was off-target, allowing Santos to score the tying run. Montero retired the next two batters to end the inning.

The Marauders had broken a 2-2 tie with a three-run eighth inning in which they sent eight batters to the plate. Jerez delivered a go-ahead RBI-double to right-center off right-hander Kevin Milam (3-2), then scored on a Jarvis RBI-single. Randy Romero later plated Jarvis from third by beating out a throw to first base on a would-be inning-ending double play, giving the Marauders a 5-2 advantage.

The eighth inning saw five stolen bases by the Marauders, who took notice of the timing tendencies of Tampa reliever Jack Neely. Jarvis finished with three steals in the game, while Tsung-Che Cheng and Jase Bowen swiped two each, and Jerez stole one. The resulting eight steals matched a franchise record set exactly one year prior, on May 8, 2021 against Fort Myers.

Prior to taking the lead in the eighth, the Marauders overcame two separate one-run deficits in the game. The Tarpons plated the game’s first run in the third when Raimfer Salinas scored from third base on a wild pitch by Bradenton starter Joelvis del Rosario. After the Marauders got a game-tying RBI-single from Jakob Goldfarb in the fourth, Tampa moved ahead again, 2-1, in the fifth on a solo homer by Salinas off Del Rosario, who finished his outing with six strikeouts across five innings.

In the sixth, Bradenton tied the score, 2-2, when Jarvis drew a bases-loaded walk from Trevor Holloway. But the Marauders missed out on an opportunity to take the lead, as Goldfarb struck out and Romero was called out on a close play at first base in an inning-ending double play.

The Marauders will travel to Jupiter, Fla. on Tuesday to open a six-game series against the Jupiter Hammerheads, Single-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.

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

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