Morehead City, NC – The Marlins beat the Chili Peppers in a gritty fashion on Friday, winning 4-2, and improving the season series to 5-0. Steven Lacey (Delta State) got the start as the opener for the Marlins, and went two innings, only giving up one hit. With a 0-0 score in the bottom of the second, the Marlins offense would get to work, plating all four of their runs. A bases loaded walk and a wild pitch would score the first two runs of the game before Zach Marriott (Hendrix College) would plate Bobby Whalen (Indiana) with an infield single to push the score to 3-0. With McGwire Tuffy (Quinnipiac) at third base, Joseph Mershon (College of Charleston) hit a ball deep into right field, and Tuffy tagged up to score the Marlins’ fourth run of the night, and take a 4-0 lead to the top of the third inning.
Ty Bothwell (Indiana) entered in relief of Lacey, and pitched a brilliant game, going five-and-two-thirds innings and striking out nine Chili Peppers.
Bothwell would give up the first Peppers run of the night in the third inning when Brandon Eike singled in William Bean from second to cut the deficit to 4-1. Bothwell looked brilliant the rest of the way, with the fourth ending on a caught stealing by Mike Kenny (Mount Olive). Bothwell then disposed of the Chili Peppers in order in the fifth. Bothwell dazzled in the sixth inning, as he struck out the side in his fourth inning of work. Bothwell would finish his day with five-and-two-thirds innings pitched to go with nine strikeouts.
Trailing 4-1 going into the ninth, the Chili Peppers looked to fight back in their final frame. A fielder’s choice and two walks loaded the bases in the top of the ninth against Morehead City southpaw Trent Anderson (Missouri St. Louis), who gave way to Sebastian Mejia (Texas Rio Grande Valley), who threw a wild pitch to the backstop to score Dalton Hurst. The one run was all that the Peppers could muster, as Mejia finished the job and secured the save for Ty Bothwell’s 4-2 winning decision.
With the win, the Marlins improve to 21-13 overall and push the season series to 5-0 against Tri-City. The boys will hit the road to Colonial Heights, Virginia for the return game of a home-and-home against the Chili Peppers on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 7PM.