WILMINGTON, NC – The Marlins fell in a 10-1 loss against the Sharks in Wilmington on Saturday night. Will Walsh (Nebraska) got the start on the mound for the Marlins, while Tom Reisinger started for the Sharks.
The Marlins scored their only run in the first inning as Joseph Mershon (College of Charleston) and Nate Anderson (Gardner-Webb) started the game with singles and executed a double steal. Dan Tauken (Albany) came to bat with runners on second and third and hit a base hit into left field to score Mershon, putting the Marlins up 1-0.
The pitchers from both sides held the opponents scoreless until the bottom of the third when the Sharks got on the board. Connor Powell grounded into a fielder’s choice to third baseman Zach Marriott (Hendrix College) to reach base with one out. Powell then advanced to second on a fly out before scoring on a Luke Nowak base hit that went into deep center field, tying the game 1-1.
The Sharks had a strong inning in the bottom of the fourth, scoring four runs on three hits. AJ Mendolia stepped into the batter’s box with the bases loaded and no outs and hit a single up the middle to score Chase Nixon. The bases remained loaded for Powell, who grounded into a fielder’s choice and scored Kyle Smith. Cam Burgess hit a ground ball to Marlin’s third baseman, Zach Marriott, who overthrew the throw to first base, scoring Drew Sturgeon and Powell and advancing the Sharks. Nowak grounded to second baseman McGwire Tuffy (Quinnipiac), scoring Burgess and extending the Sharks’ lead to 6-1.
The Marlins put two runners on base in the top of the fifth as Mershon and Trent Youngblood (Transylvania) both walked before Sharks pitcher Cade Granzow retired the next three batters. The Sharks’ offense continued to perform well in the bottom half, adding three runs to their total. Cam Hassert led off with a walk and stole two bases to reach third base. Smith was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners for Sturgeon, who hit a base hit into right field to score Hassert and advance Smith to third. Following a walk to Mendolia, a pitch from Joe Miceli (Gardner-Webb) got past Hunter Ryan (Arkansas State), allowing Smith to score the second run of the inning. The Sharks then executed a double steal, with Mendolia stealing second and Sturgeon stealing home, making the score 9-1 in favor of the Sharks.
The Sharks pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the sixth before scoring their final run of the game in the bottom half. Nowak led off with a double to center field, then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Hassert then singled to score Nowak, giving the Sharks a 10-1 lead.
The Marlins’ pitchers came alive as Trent Anderson (Missouri-St. Louis) pitched a flawless back-to-back-to-back strikeout inning in the bottom of the eighth. However, the Sharks continued their phenomenal pitching day with a three-up, three-down top of the ninth to close out the game and defeat the Marlins 10-1.
The Marlins fall to 18-11 in Coastal Plain League play, while the Sharks now lead the season series 5-4.
Morehead City is set to face off against the Sharks yet again on Monday night, July 10, in Wilmington at 7 p.m.