Bradenton Splits First Two Games with Blue Jays

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Marauders grabbed a 5-1 victory over the Dunedin Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon in their completion of Tuesday’s suspended game before dropping the second game, 11-6.

Picking up Tuesday’s suspended game after a power outage with a 3-0 lead entering the seventh inning, the Marauders (31-19, 60-55) maintained their advantage. Norkis Marcos launched a two-run homer to left field in the eighth to extend the lead to 5-0, and Darvin Garcia provided shutdown relief across his first two innings of work in the seventh and eighth. Garcia surrendered an RBI-double to Dylan Rock in the top of the ninth and yielded to right-hander Wilkin Ramos with one out and two runners on. Ramos walked Michael Turconi but recovered with a strikeout and a game-ending groundout.

The second game saw Bradenton’s Anthony Solometo and Blue Jays (30-19, 58-57) starter Edisson Gonzalez duel with three scoreless innings each to begin their outings, with Solometo retiring each of his first nine batters and Gonzalez allowing just one baserunner on a third-inning error.

In the fourth inning, Dunedin struck first on the scoreboard, as Josh Kasevich doubled and soon scored on a soft groundout by Cade Doughty. Solometo labored through the inning, facing seven batters and loading the bases with two out on two walks and a hit-by-pitch, eventually escaping the jam with a strikeout. The southpaw finished with just one hit and one run allowed in four innings while fanning six, matching his career-high.

Sergio Umana pitched a scoreless fifth for the Marauders in relief of Solometo, benefitting from a sliding catch in left-center by Jasiah Dixon that turned into an inning-ending double play when Dixon threw to second base to double off Roque Salinas. But in the top of the sixth, the Blue Jays sent all nine batters to the plate in a five-run rally off Umana. Turconi hit an RBI-single, and with a steady rain falling, shortstop Tsung-Che Cheng struggled to grip a grounder by Ryan McCarty, plating another run with an infield single. The following play brought a soggy grounder to third baseman Jack Brannigan, who bobbled the ball and threw late to first base, loading the bases for the Jays. Salinas followed with a line-drive double to right-center, plating all three runners and stretching the Dunedin lead to 6-0.

The bottom of the sixth saw no runs for the Marauders, but Bradenton broke up a Jays no-hit bid on a Marcos leadoff single in the inning and a Jasiah Dixon infield single. Both were left stranded.

The Marauders surged back in the seventh inning. After Jose Ferrer delivered a sacrifice fly for Dunedin in the top half, Bradenton rallied in the home half, as Campana belted a two-run home run—homering in a second straight game for the first time in his career—and Tres Gonzalez added a two-run single to left. Juan Jerez drove in another run with an RBI-infield single, turning a 7-0 deficit into a 7-5 score.

The Blue Jays, however, plated four runs in the top of the ninth off Jack Hartman and Carlos Campos via two hits and three walks, stretching the lead to 11-5, and Bradenton managed just one run in the home half on a run-scoring error.

The series continues Thursday with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at LECOM Park. RHP Carlos Jimenez will start for the Marauders, while RHP Geison Urbaez will start for the Blue Jays.

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

###