Charlotte Stone Crabs vs Bradenton Marauders

Port Charlotte, Florida: The Charlotte Stone Crabs finished the 2010 regular season in winning fashion by defeating the Bradenton Marauders 4-1 on Sunday afternoon at Charlotte Sports Park. The Stone Crabs led by a fantastic outing on the mound my Jake Thompson, took the lead in the third inning and never looked back.

The Stone Crabs took the zero off the board in the bottom of the third inning. Isaias Velasquez and Reid Fronk delivered back to back singles to put runners on the bases. Velasquez would later score on a force out by Tim Beckham to give the Stone Crabs a 1-0 lead.

The Stone Crabs added to their lead in the fourth inning. Michael Sheridan singled followed by a double by Matt Hall to put two runners in scoring position. Velasquez then drove home both runners with a single to left, increasing the lead to 3-0.

Bradenton picked up their only run of the game in the eighth inning. Adam Davis singled to center then advanced to second after Jordan Newton was walked. Greg Picart plated the run with an RBI single to center to pull them within two runs of the lead 3-1.

The Stone Crabs added a run of their own in the home half of the inning. Ryan Royster singled home Velasquez to record the 4-1 win.

Velasquez had a great night, going 3 for 4 and either scoring or driving home each of the Stone Crabs four runs.

Thompson threw six shut-out innings in his second start for the Stone Crabs, improving to 2-0 since his promotion and still maintaining a 0.00 ERA.

The Stone Crabs and Marauders will have a day off on Monday before facing each other in the Divisional Series of the Florida State League Playoffs beginning on Tuesday.

To view photos of the game, visit my Stone Crabs/Marauders photo gallery.