Guzman Shines in Pro Debut, Marauders Top Blue Jays 7-6
Bradenton, Fla. – Adonys Guzman led the way for Bradenton as they erased an early deficit and powered past the Dunedin Blue Jays on Saturday night at LECOM Park.
Guzman, the Pirates fifth-round pick this year, finished the night 2-for-5 with a home run and two runs batted in. He threw out two potential base stealers as well from behind the plate.
Despite the late-inning production, Dunedin jumped to an early lead after scoring one in the second and two in the fourth.
Despite a tough start, Clevari Tejada finished his outing strong, completing five innings while allowing just two earned runs.
Bradenton answered back in the bottom of the fourth when Guzman powered a solo shot to left for his first professional hit. The longball also cut the deficit to 3-1.
In the bottom of the fifth, Bradenton began to rally when Josh Tate doubled and advanced to third on a wild pitch. With one out, Jhonny Severino laced an RBI single to right make it a one-run game. Severino finished the night 3-for-5.
After Ethan Lege singled to place runners at first and second, Guzman delivered an RBI single to center to even the game at 3-3. The knock extended his on-base streak to 18 games - the longest such streak of any Marauder this season.
The next hitter was Cannon Reeder who launched a two-run double to left to push Bradenton ahead 5-3. Eddie Rynders followed with an RBI single to right that made it 6-3.
After Dunedin tacked on a run in the sixth on a passed ball, they threatened again in the top of the seventh. With two outs, Jake Casey lined a two-run double to right, knotting the score at 6-6.
In the bottom of the eighth, Bradenton loaded the bases on a single and two walks. With one out, Lege lined a sacrifice fly to left that score Tate and gave Bradenton an 8-7 lead.
Greiber Mendez recorded the final three outs to secure the win and his third save of the year.
With the win, Bradenton moved to 60-69 overall, and 30-33 in the second half. Dunedin fell to 60-66 overall and 26-35 in the second half. The two return to LECOM Park on Sunday for final game of the regular season with first pitch slated for 12:00 p.m. Coverage begins at 11:45 p.m. on the Marauders Broadcast Network.