The Marlins were defeated by the Sharks 6-3 on Monday night. Noah Covington (Maryland Eastern Shore) started on the mound for the Marlins, while Josh Harlow started for the Sharks.
The Marlins put two runners on base in the top of the first inning, but a ground ball by Will Walsh (Nebraska) resulted in a double play, ending their scoring opportunity. In the bottom half, the Sharks loaded the bases but Covington managed to escape the inning with three groundouts.
The Sharks gained momentum in the second inning as Harlow pitched a perfect one, two, three inning. The offense then scored five runs with all nine batters getting a chance at the plate. Case Kermode hit a two-run home run that landed in the center field porch. Connor Powell followed with a two-RBI double, and Cam Burgess added an RBI single to center field, putting the Sharks ahead 5-0.
Both teams remained scoreless until the top of the fourth when Dan Tauken (Albany) hit a powerful shot to right-center field, scoring two runs and reducing the Marlins’ deficit to 5-2.
Tauken scored again in the top of the sixth after leading off with a double and coming home on a wild pitch, making the score 5-3 in favor of the Sharks.
In the seventh inning, Grayson Linderman entered the game as relief pitcher for the Sharks and retired the Marlins in order. The Sharks then extended their lead to 6-3 in the bottom half as Tanner Leonard hit a leadoff single and later scored on a misplayed ball by Walsh off a hit by Ethan Wilder.
Sebastian Mejia (UT Rio Grande Valley) came in to pitch a perfect one, two, three inning in the bottom of the eighth.
In the top of the ninth, Trent Youngblood (Transylvania) got a single, but that would be the only hit for the Marlins as the Sharks emerged victorious with a final score of 6-3.
With the loss, the Marlins now hold an 18-12 record in CPL play and trail the Sharks 6-4 in the season series. They will face the Sharks again in a doubleheader on Tuesday, July 11, with the scheduled game times set for 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM.