MOREHEAD CITY, NC – Coming into Friday night, the Marlins were scheduled to play 28 innings in 24 hours. The first 14 were successful, to say the least.
Morehead City swept Tri-City in a doubleheader, taking Game 1 with ease, 21-9, followed by a 4-0 win in Game 2.
“Two good wins for us,” said Marlins head coach Jesse Lancaster. “Game one was good because we didn’t get our best pitching performance from guys that we know can be better than they were, but anyone could’ve won tonight. It was good to see different guys get going at the plate, and the pitching was a lot better in game two.”
The Marlin bats were on fire in Game 1, and they got going early. Morehead City scored two in the bottom of the first, thanks to a two-run home run from Conner VanCleave (Pitt State). Tri-City answered with two of its own in the top of the third, but Morehead City erupted in the bottom half. The Marlins scored ten runs in the third, followed seven more in the bottom of the fourth. By the end of the fourth inning, it was 19-7 Morehead City. The Marlins got two more of their own in the later innings, giving them the most runs scored in a game this season.
A lot of fish stood out at the dish in Game 1, especially Hunter Shepherd (Catawba), VanCleave and Joe Mason (Mount Olive).
Shepherd went three for four in five plate appearances, with six RBIs and a 3-run home run in the bottom of the third. VanCleave went four for five with five RBIs and three runs scored. Mason went three for three in four plate appearances, with four RBIs and two runs scored. Two of Mason’s hits were doubles.
Phillip Glasser (Youngstown State) went two for three with an RBI and two runs scored. Jack Harris (Newberry) had a strong day, going three for four with three runs scored. Jordan Johnson (Arkansas-Monticello) was strong at the hot corner, going two for four with two RBIs. Jack Casbarro (Mount Olive) had a great outing in the nine-spot in the order, three for five with an RBI and three runs scored.
It was the bats that got the Marlins over the hump in Game 1. But it was the pitching that got it done in Game 2.
The Marlins scored first again, with Shepherd picking up his seventh RBI of the night on an RBI single in the first inning, driving in Harris, who also singled.
The Marlin bats were quiet until the 4th inning, when MHC manufactured a couple runs. VanCleave singled, Bucko walked, Gibson Krzeminski (Canisius) reached on an error, and then got caught in a rundown that scored Bucko. It was 3-0 Marlins at that point.
Morehead City got another insurance run in the 6th inning, when Zack Miller (Catawba) hit a missile of a solo home run right around the left field foul pole to make it 4-0.
The Marlin pitchers were very strong in game two as well.
Jack Myers (Butler) got the start and the win, pitching five shutout innings and only allowing three hits. Jordan Morales (La Salle) and Nash Bryan (Seton Hill) combined for the final two innings of work, with Morales getting a hold and Bryan picking up his first save in the Marlin blue.
The Marlins will turn right around and do this again tomorrow, as the Wilson Tobs come to town for a doubleheader. Just like today, tomorrow’s doubleheader starts at 5:05 PM with the gates opening at 4:30.