Chandler, Solometo Blank Tarpons Tuesday Night

TAMPA, Fla. — Bubba Chandler and Anthony Solometo combined on a six-hit shutout of the Tampa Tarpons on Tuesday night in a 6-0 Marauders win at Steinbrenner Field.

The shutout win was the seventh of the season for the first-place Marauders (28-15, 57-51), who moved to three games ahead of the Tarpons in the FSL West standings.

Chandler worked four innings, matching his career-high, fanning three and walking just one. The right-hander retired eight of the first nine batters he faced, interrupted only by a Ben Rice leadoff single in the second inning.

In the bottom of the third inning, Tampa’s Spencer Jones hit a two-out single and stole second base. But when Antonio Gomez followed with a single to right field, Marauders right fielder Jasiah Dixon unleashed a laser beam throw home to catcher Wyatt Hendrie, who applied the inning-ending tag onto a sliding Jones, keeping the Tarpons (51-56, 24-17) scoreless. Chandler would complete his evening with a scoreless fourth, issuing a two-out walk to Brett Barrera before picking him off at first base.

Bradenton’s bats had built a modest lead in their first two innings at the plate, as Jack Brannigan hit an RBI-single off Yon Castro in the first inning and Norkis Marcos slugged an opposite-field solo homer in the second. But the score would remain 2-0 Marauders for the next several innings, as both teams’ pitching staffs settled into grooves.

Solometo entered the game for the Marauders to begin the bottom of the fifth. The left-hander would retire 11 of 12 batters through the eighth inning, allowing only a sixth-inning single to Jones, who was thrown out at second base by Bradenton left fielder Tanner Tredaway as Jones attempted to stretch his hit into a double.

The Marauders failed to score again off Castro, who lasted five innings for Tampa, but rallied in the top of the eighth. Tarpons reliever Bailey Dees issued a two-out walk to Tredaway, and after a pitching change brought Harold Cortijo into the game, Juan Jerez hit a single to left field and took second base when Tredaway drew a late throw from the outfield into third base. Wyatt Hendrie promptly plated both men with a two-run single to left field, and Marcos followed up with a two-run home run to left, granting the Marauders a 6-0 lead and giving Marcos his first career two-homer game.

In the bottom of the ninth, Solometo allowed back-to-back one-out singles to Jones and Gomez, but induced a game-ending double-play grounder to seal the combined shutout. The left-hander finished with four strikeouts and walked none across a career-high five innings.

All six hits that Tampa managed were singles, and the two Marauders hurlers allowed just two baserunners to advance safely into scoring position.

The series continues Wednesday with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Steinbrenner Field. RHP Carlos Jimenez will start for the Marauders, while Tampa will counter with RHP Sean Hermann.

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

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