Manatees Road Series Recap: Dunedin

Published on August 20, 2009 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Brevard County Manatees News Release


(Dunedin, FL) The Brevard County Manatees remained undefeated on what has become a surprisingly brief road trip, sweeping two games from the Dunedin Blue Jays. After losing an entire three-game series with the Lakeland Flying Tigers, Wednesday night's game at Dunedin was wiped out by the torrential rain on the west coast as well.

In Monday's game, the Manatees jumped out to an early lead, then cruised to an easy 8-3 victory. Daniel Merklinger (3-1) led a strong effort from the Brevard County bullpen, which allowed a combined one run on two hits in six innings of relief. Merklinger pitched four innings to earn the win. Eric Farris exploded for a 5-5 day at the plate, raising his average to .289. He also stole two bases. Caleb Gindl chipped in with a two-run bomb, his 14th of the season. He is tied for third in the Florida State League, and is chasing the Manatees' single-season home run record of 18, set by Jose Santos in 2001. Logan Schafer (double, triple) and Lee Haydel (two singles) also added multi-hit games.

Brevard County extended their winning streak to four (all over the Blue Jays), with a 2-1 victory Tuesday night. Amaury Rivas (12-6) continued his streak of dominance, allowing just one run on three hits in six innings, while striking out ten. Martin Maldonado led the Manatee offense with two doubles and one RBI, and Steffan Wilson knocked in the other run with a first-inning sacrifice fly. Farris added two more hits to finish the series with a .778 average, and also stole his FSL-leading 60th base of the year. Farris has a strong chance of breaking the Manatees' single-season stolen base record of 71, set by Julio Ramirez in 1998.

At 69-41, the Manatees need 12 more wins to break the 2001 Manatees record of 80 wins. The weather is making their effort more difficult, however. After losing four games to rain on this road trip, the Manatees only have 18 games left on the schedule. Even if they fall short of 81 wins, the Manatees can still finish with the highest winning percentage in team history. They currently stand at .627, well ahead of the 2001 pace of .593.

Brevard County finishes the road trip Thursday at Daytona, before returning to Space Coast Stadium for a six-game home stand. They will face the Cubs three more times over the weekend, enjoy a day off Monday, and then open a three-game set with the Clearwater Threshers.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Florida State League Stories from August 20, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central