Eudy Pina continues to victimize the Bradenton Marauders in the ninth inning at Tradition Field.
Pina scored the game winning run on a wild pitch as the St. Lucie Mets earned a walkoff 4-3 win over the Marauders on Saturday night.
With the game tied 3-3 in the ninth, Pina worked a four pitch walk from Bryton Trepagnier to start the frame. Gilbert Gomez bunted Pina to second, and Pina advanced to third on Jeff McNeil’s ground out. Then on a 1-1 pitch to Maikis De La Cruz, Trepagnier skipped a fastball wide of his catcher Jacob Stallings. The ball went to the backstop and Pina slid safely into home to give the Mets the win.
The last time the Marauders played the opening game of a series at Tradition Field Pina hit a walkoff home run. That game, played on June 28, was also a 4-3 final.
The Mets took a 3-2 lead into the ninth inning, but Stallings hit a game-tying solo home run off of Beck Wheeler with one out to give the Marauders life.
Wheeler ended up getting the win. He pitched two innings. The only hit he surrendered was the homer to Stallings.
For the Mets, the game likely should not have come down to the ninth inning. They had a great chance in the first to break it open but could not. Jeff McNeil, De La Cruz and L.J. Mazzilli opened the first inning with singles to load the bases. However, the Mets only got one run on Phil Evans’ bloop hit into center.
Mets starter Matt Koch held the 1-0 lead until the fifth. He walked Justin Maffei to load the bases, then plunked Adam Frazier to force home the tying run. With the bases reloaded, Walker Gourley hit a sac fly into center to bring home Stallings and give the Marauders a 2-1 lead.
It would be a brief lead. The Mets scored two runs in their half of the fifth to go ahead 3-2. Cam Maron stroked a single to right field to bring home McNeil and tie the game. Then with one out and runners at the corners, Evans beat out a potential inning-ending double play that allowed Mazzilli to score from third. Max Moroff’s throw from second on the attempt just pulled first baseman Jose Osuna off the bag.
Koch pitched around a two-out double in the sixth to maintain the lead in his final inning.
Julian Hilario also stranded the tying run on second in the seventh to keep the Mets ahead 3-2.
Wheeler stranded the tying run at second in the eighth when he struck out Justin Howard. He couldn’t keep the lead in the ninth, but Trepagnier’s wildness gave the Mets the win.
Koch went six innings and gave up just two runs. He walked two, hit two and struck out six. The six strikeouts matched a season high.
Marauders starter Shane Carle took a tough no-decision. He pitched seven innings and scattered nine hits. Only one of the three runs he gave up was earned. He struck out six and didn’t walk a batter.
Stallings had three of Bradenton’s five hits.
McNeil, Maron and Mazzilli all had two hits for the Mets.
The Mets (63-40, 24-21) have now won four in a row over Bradenton (64-53, 29-19) at Tradition Field. Three of the wins have been by one run.
The Mets picked up a game on both Bradenton and Palm Beach which entered the day tied for first in the Florida State League South Division’s second half. The Mets are now just 3.5 games back of first. - team press release
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