PORT ST. LUCIE --Fans endured a rain-delay of nearly two hours before Bradenton pitcher Brett Lorin outdueled the Mets’ Zack Wheeler in the Marauders’ 10-0 win at Digital Domain Park.
The win tied the Florida State League’s best-of-3 South Division Championship Series at 1-1 and forces a deciding Game 3 tonight at the stadium. St. Lucie will send right-hander Greg Peavey (5-4, 3.97) to the hill while Bradenton will counter with Nathan Baker (10-8, 3.34).
“We pitched and played defense (in Bradenton),” said St. Lucie manager Pedro Lopez. “We just didn’t execute a couple of times defensively, hit balls right at him and didn’t execute pitching either tonight.
“Tomorrow’s the day, though. I told the guys that these are the games you dream of -- a one-game playoff. It’s all about staying positive and building from it.”
A 6-foot-7 hurler from Long Beach State, Lorin flashed a strong 7-6 mark with a 2.84 ERA during the regular season, yet was just 1-2 against St. Lucie in three starts. But the right-hander saved his best outing versus the Mets for Game 2.
Lorin blanked St. Lucie over six innings, including fanning the side in the bottom of the third inning. His teammates did their damage the next frame.
Wheeler struck out Elevys Gonzalez for the second time to open the inning, but the flood gates soon gave way. Cole White’s RBI double plated Evan Chambers, the recipient of Wheeler’s second walk. Kelson Brown followed with a single through the box for a 2-0 lead.
Wheeler nearly worked out of the inning, whiffing Robbie Grossman. Adalberto Santos, a .322 hitter during the regular season, drilled a double to right-center field to stake Lorin to a 4-0 lead.
Bradenton added a run off reliever Mike Powers in the fifth, scoring on Brown’s sacrifice fly.
“Lorin was throwing the ball real well and challenging the batters from the get-go,” Bradenton manager Carlos Garcia said. “He mixed his pitches well and kept their batters off-balance.”
In the North Division, Daytona defeated Dunedin 3-1 to tie that series at 1-1 also.
New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson and vice president of player development and scouting Paul DePodesta were also at the game, which was played in front of 691 fans.
