MOREHEAD CITY – The Marlins dominated the Holly Springs Salamanders on Thursday night, amassing 16 hits in their 14-8 victory. Devyn Terbrak (Western Kentucky) started on the mound for the Marlins, while Cam O’Brien started for the Salamanders.

After both teams saw only four batters in the first inning, the scoring began in the second. In the top half, Braylin Marine (Newberry) chopped an infield hit down the third base line, followed by Dylan Rogers (Appalachian State) being hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Marine then stole third base, leading to a double steal in which Rogers stole second, catching the Salamanders off guard. Marine easily stole home, giving the Marlins a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom half of the second inning, Austin Hawke hit a high fly ball to right field that Trent Youngblood (Transylvania) lost in the sun, resulting in Hawke reaching second. Ben Lumpsden then came to the plate and hit a home run to left field, putting the Salamanders up 2-1.

Back-to-back singles for Joseph Mershon (College of Charleston) and Youngblood in the top of the third put Nate Anderson (Gardner-Webb) on base, and he flew out to left field to score Mershon, tying the game at 2-2. The score remained tied through the bottom half as Terbrak forced a one, two, three inning.

The Marlins broke the tie in the top of the fourth, scoring six runs on six hits and sending ten batters to the plate. Dan Tauken (Albany) led off with a walk, Marine doubled to put runners on second and third, followed by a Rogers single to score Tauken. McGwire Tuffy (Quinnipiac) kept the momentum going with a single to bring Marine home. Mershon then hit a double, clearing the bases and advancing to third on an error by Salamanders second baseman Gavin Troutman. Youngblood came to the plate and Mershon scored on a wild pitch, followed by a base hit from Youngblood. Will Walsh (Nebraska) hit a double, bringing Youngblood home and giving the Marlins an 8-2 lead.

Holly Springs attempted to answer in the bottom half of the fourth as Hawke hit a single and Ryan Picollo hit a two-run home run to left field, reducing the Marlins’ lead to 8-4.

The fifth inning saw three up, three down for both teams, leading to a scoreless sixth inning as well. The Marlins’ bats came alive again in the top of the sixth, adding four more runs. Mershon singled, Youngblood was hit by a pitch, and Anderson hit a base hit to load the bases for Walsh. A wild pitch advanced all runners, bringing home Mershon. Walsh hit a ball towards Salamanders third baseman Ben Lumpsden, who airmailed the throw to first, allowing two more runs to score. Marine smacked a single to bring Walsh home, extending the Marlins’ lead to 12-4.

The Salamanders narrowed the gap in the bottom of the sixth as Hawke hit a three-run home run off Kristian Asbury (Troy), making the score 12-7 in favor of the Marlins. Steven Lacey (Delta State) came in relief for Asbury and struck out all three batters he faced.

The seventh inning resulted in one, two, three innings for both sides, setting the stage for the Marlins to score their final two runs in the eighth. Youngblood led off with a double off the left-field wall, and Anderson followed with a double to left-center, scoring Youngblood. Dan Tauken struck out on a dropped ball, but Anderson scored when Salamanders catcher Nolan Watson threw the ball to first baseman Joshua Kross. The Marlins now held a 14-7 lead.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Salamanders started with promise but only managed to score one run. Garrett Pennington led off with a walk, Watson hit into a fielder’s choice to Marlins third baseman McGwire Tuffy, Hawke walked, and Picollo singled, bringing Watson home. The score stood at 14-8, with the Marlins still leading.

In the ninth inning, both teams had four batters but failed to score, securing the Marlins’ 14-8 victory.

With this win, Morehead City improved to a 2-2 second-half record and an 18-9 CPL record. They are scheduled to face the Wilson Tobs at Big Rock Stadium on Friday, July 7, at 7 PM.