Holly Springs, NC- The Marlins won their first game of the 2023 campaign in astounding fashion, as they took down the Holly Springs Salamanders 7-2. The team staff combined for 14 hits and 12 strikeouts.
After the first two innings were dominated by scintillating pitching, Landon Choboy hit a big fly into right field, that barely clipped the top of the wall for a two-run home run with 2 outs in the top of the third inning. The Marlins continued their torrid offense in the third, as Zack Marriott hit a double, followed by a solid Shayne Campbell single to bring him in.
The Marlins kept things hot in the fourth as Choboy came up to the dish with two on and slashed a looping single to score Trent Youngblood.
Jacob Coffin came in to replace Ryan Turbeville on the mound in the fifth for the Salamanders, and the first batter to face him was Shayne Campbell, who was hit by the second pitch of the at-bat. Dan Tauken then knocked a single to trail Campbell on the base path. Blake Falor and Ryan Bellamy both recorded outs, and Michael Gould then singled, to score Campbell in his Marlins debut.
In the bottom of the fifth, Marlins pitcher Jack Eshleman struck out Evan Sykes, walked Alden Kolessare. Eshleman then snagged a chopper from Ben Hemphill and shoveled it to Bellamy in time for the second out. To end the inning he struck out Mika Peterson on five pitches. Eshleman finished his day with 7 strikeouts, and 1 walk, with 3 hits given up, in 5 innings pitched.
The sixth and seventh were shutouts for both teams, as the Marlins’ Hunter Stevens faced 6 batters with 5 groundouts, and finished his day with a strikeout.
The final 2 runs of the Marlins’ 7 came in the top of the eighth, as Phillip Bernstein singled in Gould, and scored two at-bats later following the Zack Marriott single.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Salamanders came to life as Jordan Ardoin blasted a two-run no doubter to left field, but Trent Anderson put out the fire, as he struck out the final batter of the game to secure a Marlins victory.
The Marlins improve to 1-1 on the year, while the Salamanders drop to 0-3.
The Marlins head home to Big Rock Stadium as the Fish Tacos for a Taco Tuesday night Home Opener against the Sharks on May 30th. First pitch comes your way at 7pm.