Marauders Walk-Off Manatees in Sunday Matinée
 |
| Clint Coulter |
For the third straight day, the Bradenton Marauders snatched
victory from the jaws of defeat, beating the Brevard County Manatees 6-5 on
Sunday in 11 innings at McKechnie Field. It was the second straight extra
inning win for the Marauders, who walked off Saturday night with a 13 inning victory.
Bradenton (8-10, 46-40) drew first blood against Manatees
starter Jon Perrin in the bottom of the first. Jerrick Suiter’s RBI single
scored MLB rehabber Elias Diaz, who singled and moved up on a wild pitch
earlier in the inning.
The Manatees (26-59, 3-14) came back in the top of the third,
scoring two runs. Jose Cuas doubled down the third base line and Omar Garcia
dropped down a bunt. Bradenton starter Yeudy Garcia fielded it, but his throw
to third was late, putting runners at the corners. Corey Ray then flared a
single into left, scoring Cuas with the tying run. One out later, Clint Coulter
scored Garcia with his ninth double of the season, giving the Manatees a 2-1
lead.
Brevard County added a run in the fifth. Coulter singled
with one out and scored on a triple by Blake Allemand, making it a 3-1 game. Junior Lopez was called on out of the
Bradenton bullpen and he got the job done, stranding Allemand at third after
Fidel Pena and Malik Collymore grounded out.
Bradenton got that run back in the bottom of the frame.
Elvis Escobar singled and stole second. He went to third when Pena’s throw from
behind the plate went into center field. Pablo Reyes’ RBI double cut the lead
to 3-2.
In the top of the seventh, Coulter started a two out rally
with a single. Allemand walked and Pena drove a single to center, bringing
Coulter home with the fourth run. Allemand attempted to score as well, but was
cut down at the plate.
Perrin was done after six innings. He gave up five hits and
two earned runs, walking one and striking out two. He threw 88 pitches, 51 for
strikes. Marcos Diplan made his Brevard County debut in the bottom of the
seventh, after being called up from Low-A Wisconsin. The Marauders made it difficult on the
newcomer to say the least.
 |
| Jon Perrin |
Diplan faced Connor Joe and had to throw 13 pitches before
losing the battle, as Joe singled. After Escobar drew a walk, a wild pitch
moved both runners up. Reyes came up and drove a ball to left, scoring Joe on a
sac fly and making it a 4-3 game. An RBI single by Tito Polo tied the game and
after a Cole Tucker double, Pena was charged with a passed ball on a high,
inside pitch allowing Polo to score the lead run. After giving up a walk to
Diaz, Diplan’s debut was over.
He faced six batters, recorded just one out and gave up
three runs on three hits and walked two. Diplan threw 37 pitches, 22 for
strikes and was charged with the blown save. Clint Terry took over on the mound
for the Manatees. Diplan will definitely see better days ahead, but Sunday was
not one of those days.
There was a controversial call later in the inning when
Tucker attempted to score on a wild pitch and looked to be in easily ahead of
Terry’s tag. He was called out by the home plate umpire and the play-by-play
guys in Bradenton were not shy about how bad the call was. Despite their
objections, the call stood and Terry got out of the inning.
The Marauders had another good opportunity in the bottom of
the eighth when they loaded the bases with two outs, but Terry was able to
navigate his way through. That call at the plate in the bottom of the seventh
would loom large because Nick Neumann, who pitched the eighth for Bradenton
recorded the first two outs in the ninth, but had to face a very hot Clint
Coulter, who came into the at bat with three hits. Neumann got ahead in the
count 0-2, before Coulter drove one out of the ballpark, tying the game at 5-5.
Bradenton got a runner to third against Terry in the bottom
of the 10th when he attempted to pickoff Joe trying to steal. The
error allowed him to get to third. After walking Reyes, Terry gave way to Josh
Uhen out of the bullpen. Uhen hit polo with a pitch, but then got Tucker to ground
out, ending the inning.
Brevard County mounted a rally of their own in the top of
the 11th. Corey Ray singled and went to second on a sacrifice bunt
by newcomer Wendell Rijo, who was making his Manatees debut after being
acquired in the Aaron Hill to Boston deal earlier this week. Coulter continued
his great day, with an infield single. Manatees manager Joe Ayrault decided to
send Ray, but he was out on a good throw from Reyes at second.
The Marauders put an end to things in the bottom of the
frame, which started with Uhen (0-3) walking Eric Lunde. Suiter followed with a
single, putting runners at first and second. After Chase Simpson failed on a
sac bunt attempt, as Uhen recorded the out at third, Jordan Luplow came up and
hit one through the legs of Cuas at short. It was the third error of the day
for the Manatees and allowed Suiter to score the winning run.
For more info: Brevard
County @ Bradenton boxscore
The Manatees had 12 hits in the game, with multi-hit days
from Ray (2-for-6) Coulter (5-for-6, 3 runs and two RBIs), Pena (2-for-5 and
Cuas (2-for-4). Dustin DeMuth, who was 5-for-8 in the series coming into
Sunday’s game and had 11 hits in his last four games, went 0-for-5 with a walk
and three strikeouts.
The Manatees left 12 on base and were 4-for-13 with
runners in scoring position.
Polo, Suiter and Joe all had two hits for Bradenton on
Sunday. They will go for the sweep Monday night, when they face Manatees
starter Bubba Derby. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
This article originally appeared on 27OutsBaseball.com on 7/10/16
Comments
Post a Comment