Sports Lowdown

Bubba Derby The Brevard County Manatees salvaged the final game of a four game set at Bradenton on Monday, hanging on for a 6-4 victory at McKechnie Field.  Manatees starting pitcher Bubba Derby, who hadn’t gotten into the seventh inning in any one start this season, went eight innings Monday and earned his sixth win of the season. It was the best start for Derby in his young career. Brevard County (4-14, 27-59) got on the board in a big way in the second inning, against Marauders starter Stephen Tarpley. Elvis Rubio singled and went to second on a passed ball. After George Iskenderian walked, another passed ball moved the runners to second and third. That brought Jose Cuas to the plate.   Cuas, who committed an error in the 11 th inning Sunday, allowing Bradenton to walk off for the second straight day, atoned in a big way Monday, with a three-run big fly, giving the Manatees an early lead. The lead didn’t last long, as the Marauders tied things up in the b...

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...

Cody Ponce The Brevard County Manatees got all they could hope for from starting pitcher Cody Ponce on Saturday. Unfortunately, he was long gone by the time the game was decided. Cole Tucker, who was 0-for-5 with two strikeouts going into the 13 th inning, came through with a walk-off single, helping the Marauders steal a 2-1 victory at McKechnie Field. Ponce dominated the Marauders, throwing six innings of shutout baseball and the Manatees offense got on the board in the top of the third against Bradenton starter Jonathan Brubaker. Corey Ray singled to start things, but was later thrown out in his first stolen base attempt as a pro. Blake Allemand followed with a single and rode home on a Dustin DeMuth double down the left field line. With that, the Manatees led 1-0. Ponce made that run stand up, striking out the side in both the fourth and fifth inning. In the fifth, he dropped a curveball on Wyatt Mathisen that impressed the Marauders announce team. His 10 th strikeou...

Jose Cuas The Brevard County Manatees led 4-3 heading into the bottom of the eighth on Friday night in Bradenton. The Marauders rallied for three runs in the inning and hung on for a 6-4 victory, in the first of a four-game wrap-around weekend series. Bradenton (44-40) started the night with a run against Brevard County starter Kodi Medeiros, who gave up a single to Chase Simpson and was victimized by a George Iskenderian error, allowing Jordan Luplow to reach and Simpson to go to third. Connor Joe grounded out to short, allowing the run to score. The Manatees (3-12, 26-57) did all their damage in a four-run fourth inning, getting a lot of help from Bradenton starting pitcher Buddy Borden and reliever Tate Scioneaux. After retiring Elvis Rubio on strikes, Borden hit Clint Coulter with a pitch. Iskenderian walked and Fidel Pena followed with a single, plating Coulter to tie the game. Jose Cuas followed with his fifth double of the season, scoring Iskenderian and Pena,...

Elvis Rubio Ties don’t happen often in baseball, but Thursday night the Brevard County Manatees and Bradenton Marauders did just that in a rain-shortened game in front of 1,265 fans at Space Coast Stadium. After tying the game in the bottom of the eighth, the Manatees’ Elvis Rubio singled with one out in the bottom of the ninth and was on base as the rains came at 8:51 p.m. 30 minutes later, the game was suspended, tied at one. Brevard County starter Angel Ventura allowed just two hits in the game and on any other night, that might have been enough. Unfortunately, one of the two hits he allowed was a solo home run to Kevin Newman, leading off the fourth inning. Newman gave it a ride to left field, where Brandon Diaz made an effort on it, but ran out of room and ran hard into the unforgiving wall. Bradenton managed three hits in total, but threatened again in the seventh. Ventura got the first out in the inning before giving up a double to Jordan Luplow. He ...

Johnny Davis The Brevard County Manatees played their third doubleheader of the season on Wednesday, following the postponement of Tuesday’s game against the Bradenton Marauders. Game one went the way of the home team, 3-2, while game two was all visitors with Austin Cooley pitching a complete game three hitter and helping the Marauders to an 8-0 victory. “It was good to come out with the victory in the first game,” said Brevard manager Joe Ayrault. “I think we’ve won the first game in all of them. That second one we just gotta keep going and keep the pedal down.” Bradenton (20-19) got on the board immediately in game one. Kevin Newman hit one to Elvis Rubio in right field and though Rubio had to go a long way to get to the ball, he did and dropped it. It was ruled a three base error. Newman scored when Kevin Kramer followed, lacing a single to center. Manatees’ starter Eric Hanhold (2-4) bounced back nicely and got out of the inning, just allowing the one run. Brev...

Jon Perrin The Bradenton Marauders needed a home run in the top of the ninth to beat the Brevard County Manatees, 7-5 on Monday in the lid lifter of a four-game series at Space Coast Stadium. Manatees’ starter Jon Perrin worked just four-plus innings, but deserves a lot of credit for gutting it out after taking a line drive off his non-throwing shoulder in the top of the second. He took a couple warm-up tosses and was good to go, but had a couple other close calls on the mound, as he seemed to be a magnet for the ball on Monday. “Good thing it was his left arm, he was able to tough it out and stay in there,” said Manatees manager Joe Ayrault of the ball that Perrin got hit by. “He said he felt alright, but if that was his right arm he would’ve been out of the ballgame. He did a good job battling in his second start.” The Manatees (13-25) got on the board in the third inning. Johnny Davis bunted for a single with two outs and reached, extending his on-base streak to ...