BRADENTON, Fla. - After falling behind early, the Tampa Tarpons (1-2, 29-40) were stymied by Bradenton pitching in a 4-0 loss to the Marauders (2-2, 38-32) in the opener of a four-game series on Thursday night at LECOM Park.RHP Cody Bolton retired all 12 batters he faced while tallying five
BRADENTON, Fla. - After falling behind early, the Tampa Tarpons (1-2, 29-40) were stymied by Bradenton pitching in a 4-0 loss to the Marauders (2-2, 38-32) in the opener of a four-game series on Thursday night at LECOM Park.
RHP Cody Bolton retired all 12 batters he faced while tallying five strikeouts in four perfect innings, throwing 32 of 50 pitches for strikes. Due to an innings limit, the 21-year-old was not permitted to return for the fifth.
After retiring the side in order in the first, RHP Jio Orozco allowed a leadoff single by Dylan Busby in the second. Deon Stafford followed with a walk and, two outs later, Raul Hernandez drove a 3-2 pitch to the wall in right-center for a two-run double.
Orozco got a groundout to limit the damage and followed by striking out the side in the third before Busby singled to open the fourth. Two outs later, Lucas Tancas pulled a double down the left field line. The ball caromed off the side wall, allowing Tancas to score from first.
Tancas took third on a wild pitch and, after a walk by Hernandez, scored as Adrian Valerio reached on a fielding error by Oswaldo Cabrera at second base, giving Bradenton a 4-0 lead.
Orozco (L, 1-2) pitched into the fifth before leaving with two outs and a runner at first. The 21-year-old allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits in four and two-third innings, walking two while striking out five on 93 pitches (54 strikes).
LHP Joe Jacques relieved Bolton in the fifth and struck out the side, preserving the perfect game. Donny Sands put an end to the bid, lining a leadoff double down the right field line in the sixth. Jacques retired the next three batters, stranding Sands at third.
Cabrera hit a one-out single in the seventh, and Isiah Gilliam reached on a fielding error with two outs, but Jacques stranded the pair. Angel Aguilar lined a one-out single in the eighth, but Jacques (W, 2-0) worked around the hit.
LHP James Reeves stranded a pair of runners in the fifth and worked around a pair of singles in a scoreless sixth, notching one strikeout. RHP Braden Bristo tallied four punchouts while retiring all six batters he faced in the seventh and eighth.
RHP Nick Mears picked up a strikeout while closing the game with a perfect ninth.
Cabrera (1-for-4) has hit safely in eight of his last nine games, batting .371 (13-for-35) in that span.
The series continues on Friday at 6:30 p.m., with RHP Rony Garcia (0-2, 2.16) scheduled to face RHP Max Kranick (4-5, 4.03). Live play-by-play of the action will be available on the Tampa Tarpons Baseball Network.
