Marauders rip Miracle 7-3
The Bradenton Marauders defeated the Fort Myers Miracle 7-3 at Hammond Stadium Thursday night.
The visitors scored five runs off Miracle starter Kohl Stewart, including a pair in the second inning. Jin-De Jhang led off with a roped single that glanced off the glove of shortstop Engelb Vielma. Jhang advanced to second on a wild pitch. Stewart (1-4) then got Edwin Espinal to fly out to left and struck out Wyatt Mathisen. With two outs, Chris Diaz slapped an RBI double down the first base line to start the scoring. Diaz moved over to third on a second wild pitch from Stewart. Austin Meadows then flared a single into left to drive in Diaz and put the Marauders up 2-0.
Bradenton added an RBI infield hit by Harold Ramirez in the third to push the lead to three runs. In the fourth, the Miracle got a run off Marauders starter Steven Brault. With one out, Mitch Garver singled through the left side. Bryan Haar followed with a base hit into right center and Garver moved over to third. Marcus Knecht then chopped a slow roller to third base. Wyatt Mathisen ceded the run and threw out Knecht at first to cut it to 3-1.
In the fifth, the Marauders got the run right back. Barrett Barnes reached on an infield hit and then stole second. Barnes moved to third on a base hit up the middle from Erich Weiss. With runners on the corners, Ramirez drove in his second run of the game for an RBI sacrifice fly.
The lead swelled in the sixth on a run-scoring double by Mathisen off the wall in left-center and bounced Stewart from the game. Stewart went five innings, faced three batters in the sixth and gave up five runs, four earned, on 10 hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
The Miracle sliced a run off the lead in the sixth. Zack Granite led off with a base hit that deflected off Brault’s glove. After Alex Swim flew out to left, Garver singled up the middle. Brault (4-1) struck out Haar, but Knecht delivered a two-out RBI single to right to drive in Granite making it 5-2.
Brault exited the game after 5 2/3 innings and gave up two runs on six hits with a walk and two strikeouts.
The Marauders scored a run in the eighth and ninth innings. The Miracle got a run back in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI hit by Tanner Vavra, but Isaac Sanchez recorded the final three outs with no more damage to secure a 7-3 win for Bradenton.
On the road Friday, the Miracle (25-29) visit the Marauders (25-29). Chih-Wei Hu (4-0) takes the mound for the Miracle against Jayson Aquino (2-5) for Bradenton.