Herald staff report

BRADENTON -- The Bradenton Marauders rolled past St. Lucie 9-1, dismissing the first place Mets in front of the home crowd at the third annual Get Your Pink On game. The Marauders wore pink jerseys which were auctioned off after the game to raise money and awareness for the fight against Breast Cancer.

Gerrit Cole pitched six innings to pick up his second win of the season. The number one overall pick in 2011 struck out five and walked one while allowing just three hits. His only blemish was a solo home run allowed to Daniel Muno in the third. Casey Sadler pitched three scoreless innings for his second save.

The Marauders (18-18) left the bases loaded after Chase Huchingson walked them full in the first. In the second the Marauders scored twice. After a walk to Carlos Paulino, Dan Grovatt doubled. Gift Ngoepe brought home a run on a ground out and a wild pitch allowed Grovatt to score shortly thereafter.

Huchingson exited after three innings with the game 2-1 in favor of Bradenton. An error and a passed ball contributed to a four-run rally in the frame that provided Cole a comfortable cushion to work with.

Stefan Welch extended his hitting streak to 15 games in the seventh with a check swing roller to the third base side that went for an infield single. Welch’s hitting streak is the second longest by a Marauder in the team’s three year history.

The Marauders defense turned three double plays to help stifle the Mets offense.

The Marauders will have their first off day since April 18 on Sunday.

The series will resume in St. Lucie Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. All three games will start at 6:30 p.m. and can be heard on News Talk 930 WLSS and online on WLSSradio.com.