Jupiter, FL - Leobaldo Pina hit a walk off single in the bottom of the 14th as the Palm Beach Cardinals (49-31, 9-4) beat the Bradenton Marauders (45-35, 8-5) 3-2 late on Wednesday night.Ryan Helsley got the start for Palm Beach and did not come out the gate strong as
Jupiter, FL - Leobaldo Pina hit a walk off single in the bottom of the 14th as the Palm Beach Cardinals (49-31, 9-4) beat the Bradenton Marauders (45-35, 8-5) 3-2 late on Wednesday night.
Ryan Helsley got the start for Palm Beach and did not come out the gate strong as he gave Bradenton a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Cole Tucker started the game with an infield single and got to third on a Mitchell Tolman double. Tucker then score the first run of the game on a Will Craig sacrifice fly. Jordan George hit a double of his own to put the second run of the game across as Tolman scored to grab a 2-0 lead after the top half of the first.
Helsley then settled down as he struck out the side in the second and the first batter of the third. He cruised his final five innings to put his final line at 6.0 innings pitched, giving up four hits, two runs, while walking one and striking out seven.
Bradenton threatened in the fifth as John Bormann got hit by a pitch and got to second after Tucker drew a walk. Tolman advanced bother runners on a sacrifice bunt. Helsley got a ground ball to shortstop and Tucker got out at second on a runner's interference, not allowing Bormann to score. Helsley got out of the inning on a line drive to Thomas to end the threat.
The Cardinals pulled to within one in the bottom of the second as Shane Billings hit a two out single, one of his three hits on the night, and scored on a Jeremy Martinez double to right.
Andy Young tied the game on a 2-1 pitch with two outs in the sixth as he put a ball over the left field fence for his third home run of the season. Giving the Cardinals the 2-2 tie after six.
Brady Bowen took over in the seventh and tossed 1.2 scoreless innings. Bradenton threatened in the eighth inning as Ty Moore hit a two out single. Estarlin Arias replaced Bowen and gave up a single to right off the bat of Kevin Krause, but Blake Drake gunned out Moore at third to end the inning.
Estarlin Arias tossed a scoreless ninth but not without some drama. Bormann hit a two out single, Tucker came up and hit a double to the deep left field corner. Thomas Spitz got to the ball and threw it in the Young who got it to Martinez at home in time to get Bormann out at home and preserve the tie.
Palm Beach had the chance to end it in the bottom of the ninth as Martinez drew a leadoff walk, Luke Dykstra came in to pinch run and got to second on a throwing error on a fielder's choice bunt off the bat of Darren Seferina. Lane Thomas tried to lay down a bunt, but it died in front of the plate allowing Bormann to throw out Dykstra at third. Spitz then grounded out getting Seferina to third and the inning ended as Chris Chinea popped out in foul territory.
Arias pitched a scoreless tenth and eleventh inning before giving the ball to newcomer, Austin Warner. In the bottom of the eleventh Seferina drew a one out walk and got to third on a pickoff error by Geoff Hartlieb. He was then thrown out at home on a ground ball to second baseman, Alfredo Reyes.
Warner tossed scoreless innings in the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth innings giving Pina the chance to be the hero. Spitz drew a one out walk and stole second. Chris Chinea drew a walk of his own. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Drake popped out giving the chance to Pina. Pina hit a ground ball deep behind the bag at third and beat out the throw at first to give the Cardinals the walk-off victory. It was Warner's first win in the Cardinals system.
