Morehead City, NC – The Marlins continued their winning ways on Monday night, as they took down the Fungo 10-4 in a seven inning exhibition to secure their fifth straight win. Six new Marlins made their debuts, as Brock Gillis (Portland) started on the mound, and Kaden Segal (Portland) came out of the pen. Evan Scavatto (Portland), Nate Anderson (Gardner-Webb), Joseph Mershon (College of Charleston), and Will Walsh (Nebraska) all made their debuts in the field for the Marlins.
Gillis started with a bit of a rough patch, giving up a walk to Fungo designated hitter Thomas Fox to lead off the game, and center fielder Evan Harding followed with a single. Gillis would record the first two outs before hitting left fielder Alex Impossimato with a pitch. Fungo shortstop Nick Badgett would then ground out to end the inning.
The bottom half of the first inning would start with a bang for the Marlins, as second baseman Joseph Mershon doubled to start the inning. Center fielder Nate Anderson would follow with a walk, to be followed by Braylin Marine’s RBI single to score Mershon. Scotty Young would put a ball in play to Fungo catcher Jackson Rutecki, who threw to shortstop Nick Badgett. Marine would get in a rundown, and Anderson would come around to score while the brilliant baserunning IQ of Marine kept the Fungo defenders occupied.
The top of the second would fare much better for Gillis, as he allowed a hit, but the runner was left stranded and not allowed to score. Fungo starter Kei Yamagichi would settle down in the second as well, as he retired the Marlins side in order.
Gillis would allow two runs to score in the third, as Fungo second baseman Jayson Arednt launched a bullet over the wall in left field into the Morehead City night to make the score 2-1 in favor of the Marlins; Jackson Rutecki then singled for the Fungo, and advanced to second on a wild Gillis pitch. Left fielder Alex Impossimato singled, advancing Rutecki to third, and Rutecki would then come in to score on another wild pitch from Gillis.
Tied 2-2 through two-and-a-half innings, the Marlins bats got cooking. Eleven batters cane to the plate in the inning as third baseman Zach Marriot was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Mershon followed with a ball hit to Stallings, who booted the ball, and Mershon reached on the E-3. A walk to center fielder Nate Anderson would load the bases for designated hitter Phillip Bernstein (Richmond) who would walk with the bases loaded to score a run. Shortstop Braylin Marine (Newberry College) would hit into a 6-4-3 double play that left Bernstein at third with two outs, before Scotty Young (Rutgers) would knock him in with a RBI base hit. Scavatto came up to the plate and ripped a double that rolled to the wall. This would plate Young, and bring the score to 5-2 in favor of the Marlins. Evan Scavatto then ripped a double to the outfield wall that would score Young to make it a 6-2 game. With the bases loaded, newcomer Will Walsh struck out, but reached first on the dropped third strike to increase the lead to 7-2. A walk would loaded the bases again for the Marlins, and the Fungo would head to the pen.
As Ryder Jeske came in for Yamagishi, he walked Mershon with the bases loaded to score catcher Shayne Campbell (Reinhardt) to complete the 6-run inning for the Marlins before retiring Anderson to end the frame. Up 8-2, the Marlins headed to the fourth. Of the eight Marlins runs charged to Yamagichi, seven were unearned.
Marlins pitcher Trent Anderson would come out of the pen in relief of Gillis, who gave up two runs through five innings with two walks and three strikeouts. Anderson would set the side down in order in his first inning of work.
The Marlins came up to bat in the fourth inning against Jeske, who had a rough go of it in the fourth. Bernstein walked to lead off the inning, and Marine advanced to first on an error by the Fungo first baseman Hogan Stallings. A passed ball by Rutecki would allow both runners to advance to put two in scoring position for Scavotto, who ripped a 2-RBI double in the gap to bring the score to 10-2.
The fifth was pitching dominant, as neither team would come across the plate, until the Fungo threatened in the top of the sixth. Kaden Segal would toe the rubber, and give up back-to-back singles and bring Fox to the plate. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch by Segal. Fox put a ball into play to Marine at shortstop, who couldn’t make the out and all runners were safe, as Fungo right fielder Will Hood came across to score. Locked into a 10-3 game, the Fungo weren’t done yet, as Harding knocked in Martinez with a sacrifice fly. The Fungo ended the inning with the score 10-4 in favor of the home team.
With the good guys up 10-4, Jacob Kroeger entered in the top of the seventh and struck out three batters swinging in order to end the game for the Marlins.
With the 10-4 win, they secure their fifth victory in a row, and look toward the Peninsula Pilots. First pitch against the Pilots will be at 7:05PM on Tuesday from Big Rock Stadium.