Mussels weekend wrap: Fort Myers drops series to visiting Bradenton
Mussels’ offense quiet in first home sunday loss of season
FORT MYERS – The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels were defeated by the Bradenton Marauders by a final score of 5-2 Sunday afternoon at Lee Health Sports Complex.
Fort Myers (46-38, 9-10) suffered its first Sunday home loss of the season. The Mussels had been 5-0 heading into the finale against Bradenton (41-44, 10-10).
Luis Fragoza rocked a first inning home run to get the scoring started. His 10th home run of the season came off the bat at 101.3 mph, travelling 428 feet to put the Mighty Mussels in front.
Fort Myers sent Merit Jones to the mound to make his ninth start of the season. He worked two lightning-fast frames to begin the game, throwing just seven pitches in both the first and second innings.
Jones retired the first 10 batters he faced on just 31 pitches. Eddie King Jr. poked a single up the middle with one out in the fourth. Jones then induced a double play off the bat of Edgleen Perez, as he faced the minimum through four innings on 37 pitches.
Jones exited after five shutout innings, striking out four batters on 58 pitches, 37 of which were strikes. The first five innings of the game took just one hour and one minute to play.
Billy Oldham was the first man out of the Mussels’ bullpen Sunday. He worked two scoreless innings, working around two baserunners in the seventh inning.
Jeter Martinez (2-4) took over in the sixth for Bradenton after five innings of three-hit, nine-strikeout ball from starter Levi Sterling. Martinez retired the side in order in the sixth.
Jonathan Stevens (4-2) came out of the bullpen in the eighth inning, protecting a one-run lead. Stevens walked the lead-off hitter then gave up a two-run home run to put Bradenton in front.
Later in the frame, Richard Ramirez knocked a run-scoring single into right-center field to make the score 3-1 Marauders.
In the ninth inning, Bradenton added two runs, one against each of Eric Hammond and Adam Falinski. The Marauders totaled five singles in the inning and made all three outs on the basepaths.
The Mussels rallied in the bottom of the ninth, scoring one run, but fell short of the comeback. Fort Myers has now lost back-to-back series for the first time this season.
After this week’s All-Star Break, the Mighty Mussels welcome the Lakeland Flying Tigers to Hammond Stadium for a three-game series beginning Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. with coverage beginning at 6:40 p.m. on the Mighty Mussels Baseball Network.
Fort Myers caps doubleheader split with comeback win over Bradenton on Miracle Night
FORT MYERS – The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels split a doubleheader with the Bradenton Marauders Saturday at Lee Health Sports Complex. The doubleheader was played after both Thursday’s and Friday’s games were rained out.
With their win in game one, the Marauders (40-44, 9-10) clinched the series vs. the Mussels (46-37, 9-9), becoming just the second opponent to get a series win at Hammond Stadium this year (Clearwater, April 3-4). Due to a game being pushed to August, a visiting team has yet to win a full six-game series in Fort Myers this season.
Game One
Bradenton 2, Fort Myers 0 – 8 innings
In game one, the Mighty Mussels’ extra-base hit streak came to an end at 33 consecutive games. Fort Myers totaled 102 XBH during the longest streak in the Mussels era.
Fort Myers sent Reed Moring to the mound to start game one. Moring was strong, striking out five Marauders over three scoreless innings.
MLB rehabber Garrett Acton worked an economical top of the fourth inning. Acton, who has a 2.70 ERA with the Minnesota Twins this year, struck out one in a 13-pitch, 1-2-3 frame.
Callan Fang relieved Acton in the fifth. Fang worked around two, one-out baserunners to keep the game scoreless.
In the sixth inning, Bradenton loaded the bases with two outs. Fang then froze Luke Scherrer on a curveball to escape the jam.
Mike McKenna worked a scoreless top of the seventh inning, recording three fly outs.
Fort Myers’ offense was held to two hits until the bottom of the seventh. Luis Fragoza singled with one out and was pinch-run for by Merphy Hernandez. Hernandez was thrown out trying to steal second base.
The Mussels didn’t score and the game went into extra innings.
Michael Hilker Jr. (3-2) took over for the Mussels in the eighth inning. Hilker allowed the automatic runner to score on a double by Bralyn Brazoban to give the Marauders the first run of the game. Brent Iredale doubled in Brazoban later in the frame, and Bradenton took a 2-0 lead.
Fort Myers went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eighth against Adolfo Oviedo (7-0) as they were shutout for the fourth time this season.
Game Two
Fort Myers 3, Bradenton 2 – 7 innings
Wearing their throwback “Miracle” jerseys, Fort Myers sent Justin Mitrovich to the mound for game two. Mitrovich recorded bookend strikeouts in the first inning.
In the second, Mitrovich faced the minimum aided by a caught stealing by Ricardo Pena.
Mitrovich ended up striking out a career-high seven Marauders over 4.2 scoreless innings. He threw 75 pitches while allowing just one hit.
Triple-A rehabber Julian Merryweather took over with two outs in the fifth, making his second rehab outing of the week. He struck out the only batter he faced in the frame.
In the top of the sixth, after a leadoff single, Johan De Los Santos dragged a bunt down the first base line. Merryweather made an errant throw to first, letting a run to score all the way from first. Eddie King Jr. drove in a run later in the inning to make it 2-0 Marauders.
The Miracle responded for their first runs of the doubleheader in the bottom of the sixth, snapping a 15-inning drought. Miguel Briceno walked to lead off the frame, then Ramiro Dominguez doubled. Jayson Bass drove in a run with a fielder’s choice ground ball, and Luis Fragoza tied the game with a two-out RBI double to score Bass.
After Brent Francisco (7-2) worked a scoreless top of the seventh inning, Fort Myers looked to win it in the bottom.
Facing Gavin Adams (1-4), Ricardo Paez recorded a leadoff walk and Pena was hit by a pitch two batters later. Against new arm Brandon Cain, Briceno walked to load the bases. Then Dominguez delivered a walk-off single to secure the doubleheader split.
It is Fort Myers’ fifth walk-off win of the season, and the second courtesy of Dominguez. Since the beginning of the Mussels’ era in 2020, the franchise is 23-18 in the throwback Miracle uniforms.