Marauders deflect Miracle surge
BRADENTON – The Bradenton Marauders shut out the Fort Myers Miracle 5-0 Saturday night to with the three-game series.
The Marauders scored one runs in the first inning off Miracle starter Mat Batts. Justin Maffei led off with an infield hit and was sacrificed to third by Austin Meadows. Harold Ramirez then blooped a single down the right field line and Maffei came home from second base.
In the second, Chris Diaz added two more Marauder runs with a double. Reese McGuire singled to start the inning. After Batts (7-4) struck out Trace Tam Sing, Jeff Roy laid down a bunt single. With runners on first and second, Diaz ripped a two-run double down the third base line to extend the Bradenton lead to 3-0.
In the third, Ramirez led off with a single to right and stole second base. A ground out to short by Jordan Sterenka advanced Ramirez to third. Wyatt Mathisen then drove in a fourth Marauder run with a sacrifice fly to left field.
Ramirez added on for the Marauders in the seventh. With two outs, Ramirez tripled off the right field wall against Miracle reliever Todd Van Steensel. With Sterenka at the plate, Van Steensel threw a wild pitch and Ramirez scored to make it 5-0.
Marauders starter Tyler Eppler, Isaac Sanchez and Montana DuRapau combined to blank the Miracle. Eppler (6-1) went seven scoreless and allowed just four hits with one walk and five strikeouts. Sanchez was perfect in the eight and DuRapau faced the minimum in the ninth.
Batts lasted five innings for the Miracle and gave up four runs on seven hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Van Steensel tossed two innings and surrendered a run on one hit while Tyler Jay pitched a perfect eighth.
The Miracle (70-57, 32-25) return to Hammond Stadium Sunday to open a stretch of six games in seven days beginning with the series opener against the Jupiter Hammerheads.