Valdez Homers in Return, Bradenton Downs Jupiter on Tuesday Night
BRADENTON, FL — The Bradenton Marauders snapped their three-game losing streak by defeating the Jupiter Hammerheads 6-3 on Tuesday night at LECOM Park in their first meeting of 2024. Bradenton jumped ahead early with a run in the second inning against Julio Mendez (1-4). Axiel Plaz singled to start the
BRADENTON, FL — The Bradenton Marauders snapped their three-game losing streak by defeating the Jupiter Hammerheads 6-3 on Tuesday night at LECOM Park in their first meeting of 2024.
Bradenton jumped ahead early with a run in the second inning against Julio Mendez (1-4). Axiel Plaz singled to start the frame before Mendez retired the next two batters. He then issued a pair of walks to load the bases and walked Wesely Zapata to push a run across to make it 1-0 Bradenton.
Jupiter tied the game in the ensuing half inning on a solo-home run from Colby Shade against Carlson Reed (5-3). Kemp Alderman then clubbed another in the fourth to give Jupiter their only lead of the game at 2-1.
After the Maraduers tied the game back up in the bottom half of the frame on a Zapata double, Bradenton retook the lead in the fifth on an Esmerlyn Valdez solo-home run. That would be the last batter Mendez would face with Luis Vizcaino entering out of the bullpen. Plaz doubled and then scored on an Omar Alfonzo home run to right field to extend the Bradenton advantage to 5-2 in the fifth.
First game back? How about a home run for Esmerlyn Valdez! pic.twitter.com/H3Z0U18iWm
— Bradenton Marauders (@The_Marauders) July 9, 2024
Reed’s only two hits allowed in the first five frames were the two home runs. The Hammerheads tallied three hits with John Cruz plating a run to cut the deficit to 5-3 in the sixth. Reed struck out six and walked just two in six innings, which tied his career-high mark.
In the seventh, Valdez led off with a walk and then scored on an Eddy Rodriguez double to close out the scoring at 6-3. Landon Tomkins hurled a scoreless seventh with Mike Walsh (SV,1) finishing off the ballgame with two scoreless innings.
In his first game off the injured list, Valdez reached base three times and is now tied for the team lead with 10 home runs. Three different Marauders recorded multi-hit games in the victory.
The Marauders and Hammerheads continue a six-game series at LECOM Park on Wednesday morning. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 a.m., with pregame coverage beginning at 10:40 a.m. on the Marauders Broadcast Network. Minor League rehabber RHP Aaron Shortridge gets the starting nod for Bradenton while Jupiter sends RHP Brandon White (2-4, 4.67) to the hill.