ports Marauders Continue to Struggle on the Road

Marauders' first baseman Alex Dickerson  photo by Craig Jorgensen

BRADENTON – The Bradenton Marauders have continued to fail in keeping up with teams on the road, as they finish Tuesday night’s game with another loss. The Daytona Cubs walked away with a 6-5 victory, and left the Marauders shaking their heads, wondering what just happened. This loss marks the tenth out of the past eleven road games.

Both starting pitchers came out and pitched a great game in this match up. Each left the game in the sixth inning with one earned run on their stat sheet. Hunter Strickland was on the mound for the Marauders and struck out four batters during his six inning run. Austin Kirk was the starter for the Cubs, and he collected a total of seven strikeouts in his six innings of play. It almost seemed as though it was a one-on-one battle between the two guys on the mound.

However, when the bullpens started to go to work, they both fell apart. In the seventh inning, both teams immediately gave up three runs, keeping the score tied at four. Quinton Miller pitched 1.2 innings for the Marauders and gave up five runs.

Taylor Davis is the one who put the final nail in the coffin for the Marauders. He came up to the plate and hit a two RBI single to take a 6-4 lead in the bottom of the eighth. Gift Ngoepe scored in the top of the ninth after he hit a triple, but it wasn’t enough. Kirk and the Daytona Cubs walked away with the victory.

This loss is a hard pill to swallow as the Marauders’ offense has recently showed a spark of life. The team has scored 21 runs in the last three games, whereas they have only given up 16. 

The game that broke the road losing streak came June 4 against the Brevard County Manatees, and it was due to a combination of solid hitting and a reliable bullpen. The Marauders must have been furious coming into this game, as the offense comes to life in the 14-7 victory. Alex Dickerson hit two home runs, and the team collectively hit over .500 with runners in scoring position.

Tyler Waldron struggled on the mound, while pitching four innings and giving up seven runs. He pitched to six batters in the fifth inning before he was pulled. However, even with the 7 earned runs, the Marauders’ offense gave the pitching staff some breathing room with 13 runs by the time Waldron was yanked. This made Porfirio Lopez’s job easy, as he pitched four innings and struck out four without giving up a run. Zach Foster came in the ninth inning and was able to close the game out for the Marauders.

The Bradenton Marauders take on the Jupiter Hammerheads at home this weekend. Make sure to come on out to Mckechnie Field on Saturday to enjoy the game as they host Health and Fitness night, where there will be free give-aways and nutritional advice. The game starts at 6:30 p.m., but the gates are open by 5:30 p.m. to give fans the opportunity to participate in this beneficial promotion. Show off your gym membership card for a chance to win a pair of sneakers from On a Shoestring. Stick around after the match up to watch the fireworks presented by Gold Coast Eagle Distributing.