Marauders get walk-off win in opener of twin bill but drop Game 2

Stephen Alemais singled to drive in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning Monday evening as the Bradenton Marauders defeated the Palm Beach Cardinals 2-1 in first game of a doubleheader at LECOM Park.

In Game 2, the Cardinals earned a split with a 3-1 victory over Bradenton in a rain-delayed, seven-inning contest.

In the 10th inning of the opener, Alemais drove in first baseman Will Craig, who had walked and reached second base after Kevin Krause was hit by a pitch.

Palm Beach took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth after Luke Dykstra stroked a line drive single, driving home Andy Young.

The Marauders responded with a run in the bottom of the fifth after four straight hits, but their rally was cut short. Almais began the inning with a bunt single. Christian Kelley then singled to right, and Almais advanced to third. Logan Ratledge followed with a single, driving home Almais. The bases were then loaded after Alfredo Reyes reached on a bunt single.

But the fifth-inning rally was snuffed out when Alexis Bastardo grounded into a double play with Kelley called out at home. Ke’Bryan Hayes then flied out to end the inning.

Bradenton starter Mitch Keller pitched six innings, allowing six hits and one earned run and fanning four. Reliever Sam Street improved to 3-1 after holding the Cardinals to one hit over four innings.

The start of the game was delayed a half-hour as a result of soggy conditions caused by Tropical Storm Emily earlier in the day. The twin bill was scheduled for Monday after Sunday’s rainout.

Game 2 was delayed in the fifth inning by rain but resumed after a 19-minute hiatus.

Andy Young hit a run-scoring single in the second inning, leading Palm Beach to the 3-1 nightcap victory.

The single by Young, part of a two-run inning, gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead before Jose Martinez hit an RBI double later in the inning.

Bradenton answered in the bottom of the frame when Reyes hit an RBI single, bringing home Ty Moore to cut the deficit to one.

The Cardinals tacked on another run in the sixth when Leobaldo Pina hit a solo home run.

Thomas Spitz doubled and singled for Palm Beach.

Palm Beach right-hander Ramon Santos (2-2) picked up the win after allowing one run on just three hits over five innings. Opposing starter Logan Sendelbach (2-3) took the tough loss in the Florida State League game after giving up two runs and six hits over five innings. Eric Carter pitched two scoreless innings for his first save of the season.

This story was originally published July 31, 2017 at 11:30 PM with the headline "Marauders get walk-off win in opener of twin bill but drop Game 2."