Former Suns & Marlins Wrap: March 1

JACKSONVILLE - The Miami Marlins were split-squad on Saturday, winning both of its games. At Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla., the Marlins topped the St. Louis Cardinals 5-4, and at Tradition Field in St. Lucie, Fla., the Marlins beat the New York Mets 9-1.

With the wins the Marlins are now 3-0 to begin their Grapefruit League schedule.

The Marlins won in walk-off fashion against the Cardinals at Roger Dean. Future Sun Avery Romero hit a two-out RBI single to bring in former Sun J.T. Realmuto in the bottom of the ninth to deliver instant victory.

The winning pitcher against the Cardinals was 2013 Sun, left-hander Adam Conley. He threw a scoreless top of the ninth for Miami, giving up two hits and striking out a batter. Six of the seven Marlins pitchers were former Suns, with: Nathan Eovaldi, Andrew Heaney, Steve Cishek, A.J. Ramos, James Leverton, and Conley all taking the mound.

Eovaldi in his start went two innings allowing an unearned run on three hits with a strikeouts. Heaney tossed two scoreless frames striking out two batters, and Cishek and Ramos followed with scoreless fifth and sixth innings. Leverton allowed a solo homer to New York's Scott Moore that tied the game in the eighth inning before Romero's heroics won the game in the ninth.

At the plate, former Suns Marcell Ozuna and Jeff Mathis both had RBI doubles to help the Marlins in a four-run fourth inning. Giancarlo Stanton went 1-for-2 and scored a run, and also going 1-for-2 was Realmuto.

The Marlins scored nine runs on 13 hits to beat the Mets 9-1 in St. Lucie. Austin Barnes, who ended 2013 in Jacksonville and projects to begin this season with the Suns, was the star of the game by going 2-for-2 with a home run, two RBI, scored two runs and also drew a pair of walks. He got the scoring going with a solo homer off veteran Mets reliever Kyle Farnsworth in the top of the third, and then added an RBI single as part of a five-run top of the sixth.

Former Sun Brent Keys made it a 7-1 game in the sixth on his RBI single, and he like Barnes is expected to begin 2014 with the Suns. Former Suns Jake Marisnick, Kyle Jensen, and Derek Dietrich also collected hits against the Mets.

On the mound in St. Lucie, three of the six pitchers (Arquimedes Caminero, Grant Dayton, and Rett Varner) were former Suns. Caminero tossed two innings, allowing the only New York run of the game when he gave up a solo homer to Lucas Duda in the fourth. Dayton and Varner both tossed scoreless innings.

Tomorrow the Marlins will face the Washington Nationals in Viera at 1:05 p.m. Former Sun left-hander Brad Hand will start for the Marlins against Washington's Doug Fister.   

For the latest Suns news this offseason, fans are encouraged to visit www.jaxsuns.com and can keep up with the Jacksonville Suns on the club's Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram social media platforms, as well as the "Tales from Bragan Field" blog: www.sunsradio.com.