Three Homers Power Marauders to 7-2 Win Over Threshers

Three Homers Power Marauders to 7-2 Win Over Threshers

Clearwater, Fla. – The Bradenton Marauders scored seven unanswered runs in their 7-2 win over the Clearwater Threshers Friday night at BayCare Ballpark.

Clearwater jumped on the board first in the bottom of the second when Raider Tello singled and Carter Mathison homered to right to give the Threshers a 2-0 lead.

Still trailing by two in the top of the fourth, Axiel Plaz blasted a solo shot off the batter’s eye in centerfield to cut the deficit to 2-1. The homer marked Plaz’s second of the season and left the bat at 110 miles per hour.

In the top of the fifth, Bradenton loaded the bases on two walks and a hit batter. With no outs, Clearwater reliever A.J. Wilson balked to force home the game’s tying run. One pitch later, a passed ball allowed another run to score and give the Marauders a 3-2 lead.

In the same plate appearance, Braylon Bishop struck out but reached first on another passed ball to place runners at the corners with no outs. The next hitter was Cam Janik who grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, allowing Carlos Caro to score from third and extend the advantage to 4-2.

Yordany De Los Santos followed by belting a line-drive homer to left to push the lead to 5-2. De Los Santos now has three longballs in his last four games.

Bradenton added two more later in the game on an Eddy Rodriguez solo homer and Ethan Lege sacrifice fly to cap scoring at 7-2.

Bradenton pitching was stellar once again, as Carlos Castillo, Dauri Moreta, Jonawel Valdez, and Jake Shirk combined to allow four hits and two runs over nine innings. Valdez earned his first Single-A win with four shutout innings of his own.

With the win, Bradenton moved to 11-14 while Clearwater fell to 13-12. The Marauders have now won five of their last six contests.

The Marauders and Threshers return to BayCare Ballpark tomorrow for the middle game of the three-game set. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. on Saturday with coverage beginning at 6:15 on the Marauders Broadcast Network.