Riefenhauser leads Charlotte to 8-0 win

PORT CHARLOTTE - Porous defense by the opposition and strong pitching by the Charlotte Stone Crabs worked in tandem in Charlotte's 8-0 victory over the Bradenton Marauders on Wednesday.

The Stone Crabs pushed their current winning streak to three in a row with that win, which also allowed Charlotte to snap a seven-game losing streak against Bradenton that dated back to 2011.

Spot starter C.J. Riefenhauser (3-0) allowed just two hits and two walks over five brilliant innings. His eight strikeouts are the most by any Charlotte pitcher this season as well. The win moved Riefenhauser into a tie for most victories in the Florida State League, while his 27 strikeouts are also tied for tops the league.

The Marauders managed just four hits on the night as Reifenhauser combined with relievers George Jensen and Nate Garcia for Charlotte's second shutout victory of the season. Riefenhuaser's ERA fell to 1.45 on the year, the seventh best mark in the league.

By winning the series opener, Charlotte (10-9) became one of just two clubs in the FSL South Division to have a record above .500 to open the season. They also shaved a game off the Mets lead, and now stand five games back going into the middle contest of the current series against Bradenton.

Highly touted Bradenton starter Gerrit Cole (0-1) was the victim of both inconsistent command and shaky a defense behind him. Cole struck out a pair in a perfect first inning of work, but his second proved to be anything but perfect.

After retiring the leadoff man in the second, Cole hit Mikie Mahtook with a pitch. Riccio Torrez then reached on catcher's interference, before Derek Dietrich singled in Mahtook to break the scoreless tie.

The Marauders infield let Cole down in the inning as well. Mayo Acosta reached on fielder's choice that was aided by second baseman Drew Maggi's throwing error. With the bases now loaded, Steve Tinoco's RBI groundout gave the Stone Crabs a 2-0 lead.

Charlotte plated another run on Bradenton's third error of the frame. Ty Morrison's bunt to the mound would have ended the inning, but Cole's throw was dropped by first baseman Alex Dickerson to allow Dietrich to score the third unearned run of the inning.

Dietrich was in need of a big night at the plate and got just that on Wednesday. The Charlotte shortstop broke an 0-for-17 skid and finished with three hits, two RBI's and three runs scored while turning in a pair of dazzling plays in the field.

The Stone Crabs kept adding to the lead throughout the night. They tacked on a pair of insurance runs against Cole in the third inning. Bradenton's bullpen surrendered another run in the sixth and two more in the eighth inning to cap the scoring.

These two teams resume this series on Thursday. Lefty Braulio Lara takes the mound for Charlotte in search of his second win of the season. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.