Florida State League Play-Offs: St. Lucie Mets Win Game One

The St. Lucie Mets Defeated the Bradenton Marauders 4-2 last night, in Game 1 of the Florida State League Divisional Series. With the score tied 2-2, men on second and third and two outs in the top of the ninth inning, 2B Jose Coronado laced a double to drive in C Francisco Pena and 3B Jefry Marte with the winning runs.

LHP Darin Gorski pitched 7 solid innings allowing only 2 runs, on 6 hits, while striking out 6 and walking 1. RHP John Church pitched a perfect 8th, striking out one, for the victory. RHP Jeff Kaplan struck out the side in the 9th to pick up the save.

The first Mets run scored with two outs in the 6th, when with the Marauders ahead 2-0, SS Wilmer Flores lifted a pop-up behind shortstop. The ball deflected off the shortstop’s glove, before falling in front of the left-fielder for a double. 1B Stefan Welch then singled to RF to drive in Flores.

St. Lucie tied the score in the 7th when CF Cesar Puello was hit by a pitch leading off. RF Cory Vaughn followed with a single to RF, putting runners on first and third. Then Pena grounded into a DP which allowed Puello to score. Marte, Vaughn, and Coronado led the way offensively for St. Lucie, each picking up two hits in the victory.

Game 2 of the best-of-three series, is set for tonight when 6’7″ RHP Brett Lorin (7-6 2.84), squares off against hard-throwing RHP Zack Wheeler (9-7 3.52).

The Brooklyn Cyclones and Staten Island Yankees were rained out last night and will try and play Game 1 of their series tonight in Brooklyn, weather permitting. RHP Bryan Mitchell will start for the Yankees, while RHP Marco Camarena toes the bump for Brooklyn.

Savannah opens their best-of-three series for the South Atlantic League Divisional Series tonight, with Game 1 in Augusta at 7PM. The likely starter for the Sand Gnats will be LHP Angel Cuan, who was 10-3 with a 3.56 ERA, a 99/16 K/BB ratio, and a 1.14 WHIP this year.