Marauders Manhandled by Mussels, 11-2

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Marauders fell behind early in a sixth consecutive game Sunday afternoon en route to a crushing 11-2 loss to the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels at LECOM Park.

With six games remaining in the regular season, the Marauders (35-25, 64-61) now sit two games behind second-place Dunedin, who swept their Sunday doubleheader from third-place Tampa, who stand just a half-game behind Bradenton.

Starter Po-Yu Chen took the loss for the Marauders, matching his career-high with five runs allowed (three earned) on seven hits across three innings. Five relievers appeared behind Chen, and four of the five allowed at least one run.

Bradenton bats, meanwhile, managed just five hits and went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Sergio Campana and minor-league rehabber Matt Gorski recorded two hits each.

After Chen worked around two Mighty Mussels (25-34, 66-57) singles in a scoreless first inning, the right-hander labored in the second. Rubel Cespedes led off with a single and scored on a Keoni Cavaco double, and two batters later, Dillon Tatum hit a two-run home run to left for a 3-0 Fort Myers lead.

In the third, a Noah Cardenas double and two Marauders errors loaded the bases, and the Mussels stretched their lead to 5-0 on a Carlos Aguiar two-run double off Chen.

From the fifth through the seventh, the Mighty Mussels added four total runs off Marauders relievers Darvin Garcia, Jack Hartman, and Johan Montero to build a 9-0 margin.

Mighty Mussels pitching proved enigmatic for Marauders hitters, as starter Jordan Carr scattered three hits in five scoreless innings, and fellow left-hander John Wilson followed with two innings of scoreless relief. Bradenton finally got onto the scoreboard in the eighth against Anthony Escobar, as Juan Jerez walked, Tres Gonzalez doubled, and the two men scored on a Termarr Johnson sacrifice fly and a Tanner Tredaway groundout, respectively. But Fort Myers capped its scoring the next half-inning on a pinch-hit two-run homer by Daniel Ozoria off Cy Nielson, giving the Mussels an 11-2 advantage.

Eight of the nine players in the Mighty Mussels’ order recorded hits, and six of Fort Myers’ 11 runs came with two outs. The loss dealt the Marauders a series split after the team won the first three games of the set.

The Marauders travel to Clearwater on Tuesday to open their final regular-season series against the Clearwater Threshers, Single-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at BayCare Ballpark.

For more information about the Bradenton Marauders, please call (941) 747-3031, visit BradentonMarauders.com, or email [email protected].

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