BRADENTON, FL - In an Education Day game that began at 11 am after a 30 minute delay, it took ten innings to decide a winner between the Bradenton Marauders and the Charlotte Stone Crabs in a contest ultimately won by the home side in a wild fashion on Wednesday
BRADENTON, FL - In an Education Day game that began at 11 am after a 30 minute delay, it took ten innings to decide a winner between the Bradenton Marauders and the Charlotte Stone Crabs in a contest ultimately won by the home side in a wild fashion on Wednesday afternoon.
Bradenton waited until after the Seventh Inning Stretch to plate their first run on one of 1B Lucas Tancas' two doubles on the day, driving in SS Oneil Cruz from second base on a line drive to the left field corner. The only other offense came in the bottom of the first extra frame with OF Chris Sharpe beginning the inning on second base. Sharpe was moved to third on a Tancas groundout and 3B Michael Gretler was intentionally walked to put runners on the corners for 2B Jesse Medrano with one out. With Sharpe breaking to the plate on the first pitch of the at bat, Medrano dropped down a picture-perfect suicide squeeze bunt down the first base line to grant the Marauders their first walk-off win of the year in their first extra-inning contest.
In the first of three morning games in 2019 at LECOM Park, RHP Aaron Shortridge made his second start of the year and allowed his first run, the only tally for the visitors, in the top of the sixth inning on an RBI groundout as Shortridge lasted through six full innings in a no decision allowing the single run on seven hits without walking a batter and registering three strikeouts. Rehabbing RHP Dovydas Neverauskas was perfect in his lone frame of work in the seventh, RHP Drew Fischer lasted two innings and allowed a single hit and struck out a batter, and RHP Joel Cesar got his first win in relief after firing a scoreless top of the 10th inning.
Bradenton and Charlotte will finish their home-and-home four game series Thursday evening with LHP's Oddy Nunez and Resly Linares tossing for the two sides respectively with first pitch scheduled at 6:30. 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!
