The Marlins continued their winning ways on Thursday night with a brilliant 11-0 win. The Marlins pitching staff combined for a four pitcher no-hitter, as Chas DeBruhl (Francis Marion) got the action started with four no-hit innings as his breaking pitches and two-seam fastball were dialed in all night.
The Marlins bats followed DeBruhl’s hitless first with a mad dash of offense, as things got started on a Joseph Mershon (College of Charleston) walk and a Scotty Young (Rutgers) fielder’s choice. Phillip Bernstein (Richmond) was hit by a pitch, and Evan Scavotto (Portland) was walked to load the bases. Trent Youngblood (Transylvania) then ripped a double to left field that would score three runs, and put the Marlins up 3-0 with one out in the bottom of the first. The scoring wouldn’t stop, as Michael Gould (Maryville) walked to set up a Will Walsh (Nebraska) 2-RBI double. The Marlins sent nine batters to the plate, and ended the first with a 5-0 lead.
DeBruhl would continue his masterclass with a 1-2-3 inning in the second, before giving way to the Fungo bullpen. Josh Plisko would come out of the pen and limit damage in the second. DeBruhl walked two batters in the third, but came out of the inning unscathed.
The Marlins’ attack wasn’t done yet, as Gould would launch a majestic home run over the left field fence in the bottom of the third to make the score 6-0. The Marlins weren’t quite finished. A Walsh hit-by-pitch and a Mike Kenney (Mount Olive) single would set the table for Zach Marriott (Hendrix College), who dropped a single into the pasture to score Walsh. The Marlins would continue to pour it on, as Marriott singled in Kenney to complete the three-run inning for the Marlins. After three innings, the fighting fish would hold on to a 8-0 lead.
DeBruhl continued his mastery in the fourth, inducing a groundout to the Fungo’s Hogan Stallings to end his day with four innings of no-hit baseball with three walks and four strikeouts. The Marlins offense would go 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fourth to give way for new Marlins right-handed Zane Badmaev (Tarleton State) making his debut in the top of the fifth. Badmaev went 1-2-3 in his Marlins debut, striking out the last two batters he faced swinging to retire the side.
The Marlins bats again went cold in the fifth inning, after the Fungo got Marriott to hit into a double play. Steven Lacey (Delta State) got into a bit of trouble in the sixth when he had the bases loaded full of Fungo with only one out in the inning, but struck out Fungo batters Alex Impossimato looking and Stallings swinging to end the threat.
The Marlins bats would heat up once again in the sixth, as they would score three more times in the frame. With the bases loaded, Fungo hurler Houston Wills walked Trent Youngblood to score a run, and then promptly walked Gould to score Bernstein. Up 10-0, the Fungo sent third baseman Tommy Martinez to the mound to close it out, and deployed Will Hood at the hot corner. Martinez walked Kenney with the bases loaded to put the Marlins up 11-0 and close the book on Wills.
In the top of the seventh, Kaden Segel (Portland) came on and induced two flyouts to right field and a strikeout to preserve the combined no-hitter for the Marlins.
After the 11-0 win against the Fungo, the Marlins will set their sights toward the Salamanders, who come into town on Friday night. First pitch is set for 7PM at Big Rock Stadium.