Wilmington, N.C. (May 29, 2024) – The Morehead City Marlins secured a hard-fought victory in the inaugural game of the Chum Bucket Challenge against the Wilmington Sharks, prevailing 9-7 in a thrilling matchup at Marlins Stadium.
The Marlins’ starting pitcher, Koen Van ‘t Klooster, delivered a solid performance, pitching four innings and allowing four hits and two unearned runs while issuing two walks and tallying one strikeout.
The game started with low scoring, but the Marlins exploded offensively in the sixth inning, notching seven runs highlighted by a two-run homer to right-center field from designated hitter Nick Serce. This offensive surge, which lasted 25 minutes, propelled the Marlins to an 8-2 lead, forcing the Sharks to cycle through four different pitchers in the inning alone.
Max Weber entered the game for the Marlins, pitching 1.1 innings to preserve the lead.
The sharks bit back in the seventh scoring three runs off of Weber, but Jay Allmer was there once again to preserve the lead in the later innings. Allmer earned the hold, pitching 1.2 perfect innings with two strikeouts.
Trent Anderson closed out the game for the Marlins, securing his second consecutive save.
With this victory, the Morehead City Marlins improved to a 2-2 record for the season. They will now set their sights on their next challenge, facing off against the Greenville Yard Gnomes on the road tomorrow night at 7 p.m.