Mussels finish series in Bradenton with 3-3 record

BRADENTON, Fla. (May 9, 2021) – The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels lost two of the final three games at LECOM Park, finishing their season-opening series with a 3-3 record.

Friday Box Score: https://atmilb.com/2R7CvJR

Saturday Box Score: https://atmilb.com/3uD3ifU

Sunday Box Score: https://atmilb.com/3xXQCSO

FORT MYERS TOP PERFORMERS

Edouard Julien: 6-17, 2 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, 9 BB (1.165 OPS)

Yunior Severino: 6-18, 2 2B, HR, 8 RBI, 2 BB (1.011 OPS)

Hunter McMahon: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 6 K, 1 BB (0.00 ERA)

Brent Headrick: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 7 K, 1 BB (0.00 ERA)

FRIDAY – Mussels 2, Marauders 1

Brent Headrick set the tone early, striking out seven Bradenton hitters while allowing just two hits over four scoreless innings.

The Mussels jumped in front in the fourth, taking a 2-0 lead on a Yunior Severino single and Bradenton fielding error.

Miguel Rodriguez (1-0) and Ryan Shreve were able to hold the narrow lead from there. Rodriguez went three spotless innings, while Shreve left the bases loaded in the ninth inning to earn the team’s first save of the season.

SATURDAY – Marauders 7, Mussels 2

The Marauders inched in front with singular runs in the first and second inning, knocking out Fort Myers starter Steven Cruz (0-1) in the second inning due to pitch count.

Bradenton did not pick up a single extra-base hit but stole eight bases to put the pressure on the Mussels.

Fort Myers center fielder Willie Joe Garry Jr. socked his second home run of the series in the seventh inning, while Keoni Cavaco and Kyle Schmidt each notched multi-hit games.

SUNDAY – Marauders 18, Mussels 9

Bradenton (3-3) struck for nine runs in the first inning and never looked back. Mussels (3-3) starter Sawyer Gipson-Long (0-1) was charged with seven runs on seven hits, and the bullpen struggled to stabilize the game after that.

Each of the three relievers that followed surrendered multiple runs. The best pitching performance came from infielder Daniel Ozoria, who turned in 2.2 scoreless innings to finish the game.

Yunior Severino and Jeferson Morales each delivered home runs in the seventh inning off Estalin Ortiz to make the score look more respectable.

WHAT’S NEXT?

The Mighty Mussels will enjoy an off-day Monday before returning to action for the Fort Myers home opener at Hammond Stadium at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. All fans will get a free magnet schedule and fireworks will take place after the game. It is also “Guaranteed Win Night,” meaning that all fans will get a free ticket to Wednesday’s game should the Mussels fall short of their guaranteed win on Tuesday. Coverage of Tuesday’s game will begin at 6:45 p.m. on the Mighty Mussels Baseball Network.