Bradenton Marauders �9, �Clearwater Threshers �8 (box)
3B Jeremy Farrell posted 4 hits as each team recorded a 5-run inning on Saturday evening. �Clearwater had the early lead with one run in the bottom of the 1st, on a single and a double off starter Aaron Pribanic. Bradenton had the first 5-run inning, in the 4th. �C Tony Sanchez opened the inning with a walk, followed by singles from Farrell and DH Eric Fryer. 1B Calvin Anderson blasted a 3-run homer, then a fielding error and two wild pitches brought in RF Austin McClune with the 5th run of the inning. �The 5th inning started in a familiar manner: �a walk to Sanchez and a single by Farrell — then Anderson doubled, scoring both Sanchez and Farrell, giving the Marauders a 7-1 lead.
Pribanic did not allow a run over the 2nd through 5th innings. �The bottom of the 6th began with a fielding error by Farrell, then a hit batter, two singles and a missed catch error by Sanchez. �That was all for Pribanic. �He was relieved by Tom Boleska, who threw a wild pitch, then gave up a single, a hit batter, and another single. �That gave Clearwater 5 runs, and the score was 7-5.
The Marauders added two runs in the top of the 8th, on four singles, by SS Brock Holt, LF Quincy Latimore, Sanchez, and Farrell, plus a sacrifice fly by Fryer. �Clearwater answered with 2 runs in the bottom of the inning, on a double and a 2-run homer. �Those runs were charged to Diego Moreno. �Noah Krol pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the 9th, earning his 12th save. �Pribanic earned the win, his 2nd of the season.
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West Virginia Power �6, �Lakewood Blue Claws �4 (box)
Three hits by SS Benji Gonzalez led the Power offense as early scoring won this game. �The Power dented the scoreboard first, with a single by CF Evan Chambers, a triple by 1B Aaron Baker, and a sacrifice fly by RF David Rubinstein, giving them 2 runs in the top of the 1st.
Lakewood responded with 2 runs in the bottom of the inning. �A walk, a single, and another walk loaded the bases, and a wild pitch by starter Victor Black brought in one run. �Another walk loaded the bases again, and Black was relieved by Maurice Bankston (might have been due to pitch count). �Before Bankston had a chance to get settled,�Lakewood pulled off a triple steal — stealing home to tie the score. �A double, a hit batter, two more stolen bases, and a line drive single into center field added 2 more runs in the 2nd inning, and Lakewood had a 4-2 lead.
But the Power were not done. �Benji Gonzalez led off the 3rd inning with his first single of the game. �Chambers doubled, moving Gonzalez to third base. �Baker’s sacrifice fly scored Gonzalez, and Rubinstein’s RBI single brought in Chambers. �C Ramon Cabrera‘s single broke the 4-4 tie, as Rubinstein came across the plate with the go-ahead run. �The Power picked up an insurance run in the 4th, on a triple by DH Kyle Morgan, and Gonzalez’s second hit of the game, an RBI single. �After that, the Power went down in order until the 8th inning, when Baker singled again, but was forced out at second on a grounder. �Gonzalez singled for the third time in the 9th inning with two outs, but was caught stealing.
Bankston earned the win, going 3.1 innings and allowing only the 2 runs in the 2nd inning. �Reliever Marc Baca pitched 4 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits and 2 walks. �Duke Welker earned his 2nd save of the season in the 9th. �He gave up a walk, but got the next batter to bounce into a double play to end the game.
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