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Brevard County 5, Daytona 1 Ortega's Gem Helps Manatees Bounce Back 'Tees Defeat Tortugas, 5-1 By Dave Walkovic / Brevard County Manatees 05/02/2015 12:49 AM ET http://www.milb.com/assets/images/1/7/0/121863170/cuts/SM2_1672a_XL_zp906qhc_qgc4c8jd.jpg (Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography) Daytona Beach, Fla. - In need of a dominant pitching performance after a heartbreaking end to their first game on Friday night, the Brevard County Manatees (10-10) would get exactly that as Jorge Ortega threw a seven-inning complete game in a 5-1 victory over the Daytona Tortugas (14-8) at Radiology Associates Field. The Brevard County offense would do its part early on as Chris McFarland would leg out an infield single to start the game. Following a Taylor Brennan strikeout, Tortuga starting pitcher Jackson Stephens would get two strikes on Clint Coulter. Manager Joe Ayrault would send McFarland on the pitch and Coulter would rip a double down the left field line, bringing McFarland all the way around to put the Manatees on the board. The Manatees would put the game away for good in the second inning, which would start when Jose Pena singled with one out on the first pitch he saw in a Manatee uniform. He would take second base on a wild pitch by Stephens, who then lost Omar Garcia on a walk. Both the runners would move up on a groundout by McFarland, setting up a prime spot for Brennan. Brennan drove one to left center that would've been a home run on a less breezy night. However, the winds blowing in from straightaway centerfield kept the ball in the park but it would be just beyond the diving reach of Tortuga centerfielder Phillip Ervin. Pena and Garcia would score easily as Brennan wound up with his first triple of the season to make it 3-0. Coulter then brought him home with a single to center to tack on another run. He followed that up by stealing second with Victor Roache at the plate. It looked as if the inning would come to a close when Roache hit a routine grounder to third but Taylor Sparks' woes at the hot corner in this series would continue as his throw to first was wide, allowing Coulter to score. Stephens would escape the inning immediately after when he got Garrett Cooper to ground out. He would settle in after that as he and reliever Blaine Howell allowed just two Manatee baserunners over the final five innings. However, the 'Tees had already given Ortega all the support he would need. Ortega retired the first nine Daytona hitters before allowing a leadoff single to Ervin in the fourth. That would matter little as it turned out because he would get Alex Blandino to foul out to McFarland and when Sebastian Elizalde tapped into a 1-6-3 double play, Ortega had still faced the minimum through four. The 'Tugas finally broke through in the sixth, as Carlton Daal was the catalyst with a leadoff single. Following an Ervin flyout, Blandino sacrificed to move the runner into scoring position. Elizalde would hit a grounder just beyond the reach of McFarland at second and into right field, bringing home Daal to make it 5-1. The threat was extinguished immediately after when Chad Wallach flew out to right. Ortega would finish with a flourish in the seventh as he coaxed a flyout by Robert Ramirez and then struck out Sparks and Jon Matthews to end the ballgame. With that performance, Ortega improves to 3-1 on the season and lowered his Earned Run Average to 2.57 in the process. The most impressive aspect of his outing was that this was his third consecutive start without issuing a walk, running his streak overall to 26 innings without a free pass. The Manatees return home Saturday night as they'll continue the series at 6:35 P.M. with RHP Hiram Burgos (1-2, 3.27 ERA) gets the start against Tortuga right-hander Nick Travieso (2-2, 3.38). The matchup is a rematch from the season opener on April 9th which the Tortugas won 5-1. Brevard County Box Score Brevard County Game Log

Daytona 3, Brevard County 2 Suspended game result. Regular game to start around 6:50 CT. Casey Medlen not on his game right now. Manatees took the lead in the 10th on a Garrett Cooper single and 2 wild pitches. Bottom of the 10th, Philip Ervin, one of the Reds' top prospects hit a walkoff 2 run home run with 2 outs in the 10th (off the foul pole). Brevard County Box Score (Ignore cumulative statistics--they are as of the suspension date not year-to-date). Brevard County Game Log\ Ervin's Walk-Off Homer Sinks Manatees in 10 Daytona Defeats Brevard County, 3-2 By Dave Walkovic / Brevard County Manatees 05/02/2015 12:39 AM ET http://www.milb.com/assets/images/3/9/6/121861396/cuts/_P0A6065_5cpzf7c5_564lh4kb.jpg Daytona Beach, Fla. - Phillip Ervin hit a two-run, walk-off home run to give the Daytona Tortugas (14-7) a 3-2 win over the Brevard County Manatees (9-11) on Friday Night at Radiology Associates Field at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the 10th inning, Daytona's Carlton Daal smacked a leadoff single up the middle against Casey Medlen (0-3, 6.23 ERA). After two fly outs, the stage was set for Ervin. He cranked a line drive down the left field line that hit off of the foul pole to win the game for the Tortugas. It was Ervin's seventh home run of the season. The Manatees had taken the lead in the top half of the frame. Garrett Cooper started the inning with a single to center. He then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Steven Halcomb entered the game as a pinch runner. After a fly out, Halcomb advanced to third on a groundout to third by Rafael Neda. Evan Mitchell (1-0, 5.19 ERA) then uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Halcomb to scamper home and give the Manatees the 2-1 lead. The game, which was a continuation of a suspended game on April 11, was scoreless until the top of the seventh. Clint Coulter started the inning with a walk. Taylor Brennan then singled to left and advanced Coulter to second. Victor Roache then grounded a broken-bat roller to third. Roache, who thought the ball was foul, got a very late break out of the batters box. It appeared Daytona had a shot at a triple play, however third baseman Taylor Sparks stepped on the bag at third and airmailed the throw into right field. Brennan moved up to third to put runners on the corners with one out. After a Cooper strikeout, Brevard County attempted a double steal. Catcher Joe Hudson pump faked a throw to second and caught Brennan too far off of third and in a pickle. Sparks launched a return throw towards the plate and over the head of pitcher Barrett Astin, who was covering home. Brennan touched home and opened the scoring. Astin induced a ground out of Paul Eshleman to end the inning. Daytona tied the game in the eighth against reliever Kaleb Earls. Alex Blandino singled up the middle with one out. Ervin then grounded into a fielder's choice to erase Blandino. After a Chad Wallach single put runners on the corners, Robert Ramirez laced a double down the right field line. Ervin scored, but a good play by Coulter in right forced Wallach to hold up at third. Earls then bounced a pitch that slightly bounced away from Neda. Wallach broke from third, but Neda recovered and made a lunging tag of Wallach to end the inning and keep the game tied at one. Clint Terry, who started on the mound after the resumption of the game, pitched 4.2 scoreless innings. He allowed four hits and three walks, and struck out four. Earls allowed just the one run over 2.1 innings. He surrendered three hits and recorded a strikeout. Mitchell was credited with the win, despite allowing the 10th inning run. He allowed one hit and punched out two men in 1.2 innings. Astin, a former Brewers farmhand, allowed just one unearned run on three hits in five innings of work. Omar Garcia and Brennan led the offensive charge for Brevard County, each recording two hits. The Manatees did not have an RBI in the game.

Manatees' suspended game now going to extra innings.

Per Manatees' broadcast, Jim Henderson transferred to Colorado Springs from Biloxi.

Thinking about how weak this organization is in left handed hitters compared to other teams. Of course, you have Lind. AAA has a number of left handed hitters but none are really prospects at this point. Maybe Clark? Biloxi has Wren and Ramirez neither of whom is particularly exciting. With Johnny Davis out, Brevard County has zero left handed hitters. The Timber Rattlers have Leal, Denson, Demuth and Neuhaus so there is some hope there. Just really bare compared to most other teams.

Jeffress on pace to appear in 92 games?

Johnny Davis' being out will put a burden on Omar Garcia. I don't see Victor Roache or Clint Coulter playing CF. The other outfielder, Jose Pena, I don't believe has ever played CF either. Have to look at it as an opportunity for Omar, I guess.

Daytona 6, Brevard County 4 From examiner: First place Tortugas take down Manatees May 1, 2015 12:30 AM MST http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/27/06/270679176d585d77020c9ad36707d19a.jpg?itok=skZs6O-v Manatees centerfielder Omar Garcia went 2-for-4 with a double in Thursday's 6-4 loss to Daytona. The Brevard County Manatees returned home Thursday night to take on the division-leading Daytona Tortugas in the first of a four-game series that will alternate home ballparks. It wasn’t a pretty game for either squad, but the Tortugas scored two runs in the top of the ninth and hung on to win, 6-4. Daytona (13-7) got the win, despite starting pitcher Nick Howard not having his best stuff. Howard threw 91 pitches through 3.2 innings, only 41 of those pitches were strikes. Unfortunately, the Manatees were a bit over-zealous on the base paths early and it cost them a chance to put Howard in a deep hole to start the game. “We had some baserunning mistakes early there in the first and could not take advantage of some control issues from Howard,” Manatees manager Joe Ayrault said. “(Chris) McFarland tried to steal second with a slide step and (Garrett) Cooper getting back-picked by the catcher, definitely costly plays in the ballgame.” The Manatees did come away with a run in that first inning, even with the mistakes. Cooper singled home Clint Coulter to make it 1-0. Coulter was hit by a pitch earlier in the inning. As Ayrault eluded to though, the Manatees had a chance for a bigger inning and they took themselves out of it. Brevard County (9-10) added a run in the second inning when McFarland doubled home catcher Cameron Garfield, giving the home team a 2-0 lead. Garfield led off the inning with a walk. Manatees starting pitcher Javi Salas worked out of minor trouble in the third inning and held that two run lead until the fourth. Salas hit a batter, gave up a hit and walked one in that fourth inning. Carlton Daal hit a sac fly to center and the throw came home. Salas cut the throw off and got the runner at third, to complete the double play. Unfortunately, the run scored before the out at third was recorded, making it a one run game. Omar Garcia, who has been swinging the bat well as of late, got that run back in the bottom of the fourth, almost single-handedly. He singled off Howard to start the inning and promptly stole second. He moved to third on a McFarland sac fly and Taylor Brennan followed with an RBI double off the wall in right. That made it 3-1. One out later, Howard walked Victor Roache and that brought Tortugas Manager Eli Marrero out of the dugout. He brought Joel Bender in to limit the damage and he did just that. His Tortugas would then get their offense going again in the fifth. Three of the first four hitters reached for Daytona in the inning. Phillip Ervin and Sebastian Elizalde each singled and they came around on a two-run double by Chad Wallach, tying the game 3-3. Salas worked out of further trouble, but he was replaced by Preston Gainey to start the sixth. Brevard County’s final run came in the sixth when Victor Roache reached on an error, allowing McFarland to score. That gave the Manatees a 4-3 lead, but it wouldn’t last long. Alex Blandino came up with one out in the Daytona seventh and smacked a single to center. One out later, he stole second and then third base. He scored the tying run on a passed ball. The score remained tied until the top of the ninth, when Ayrault brought in his closer, Casey Medlen. Medlen (0-2) gave up a one out walk to Ervin and then a double to Blandino, putting runners at second and third. An Elizalde sacrifice fly scored Ervin to make it 5-4 and the final run came home on two consecutive passed balls from Medlen to Garfield. “It was tough for Medlen tonight,” said Ayrault. The bad news was not limited to the game on the field tonight for the Manatees. It was revealed following the game that centerfielder Johnny Davis, who has been on the disabled list, will not return this season. “He’s gonna be having season-ending surgery on his knee,” said Ayrault. Johnny Davis out for season For more info: Daytona @ Brevard County boxscore The Manatees and Daytona will meet again Friday night. They will finish a game that was suspended on April 11 and then play the regularly-scheduled game, which will be a seven inning game. Jorge Ortega will toe the rubber for Brevard County, in that suspended game, while Barrett Astin takes the ball for the Tortugas. Too many innings like this: Brevard County Bottom of the 1st Christopher McFarland walks. With Taylor Brennan batting, Christopher McFarland caught stealing 2nd base, catcher Chad Wallach to shortstop Alex Blandino. Taylor Brennan called out on strikes. Clint Coulter hit by pitch. Victor Roache walks. Clint Coulter to 2nd. Garrett Cooper singles on a line drive to left fielder Sebastian Elizalde. Clint Coulter scores. Victor Roache to 2nd. With Cameron Garfield batting, Chad Wallach picks off Garrett Cooper at 1st on throw to Sammy Diaz. 11 base runners off Nick Howard in 3 2/3 innings but the Manatees could only get 3 runs. Javi Salas was not really at his best with 6/5 GO/FO. Trevor Seidenberger faced 4 hitters, striking out 3 of them. Casey Medlen came in for the 9th and gave up the decisive runs. Brevard County Box Score Brevard County Game Log

Yosted Why you shouldn't constantly use these beanball tactics.

Nice return for Tucker Neuhaus today.

Tucker Neuhaus now back. So they have Matos, DeMuth and Neuhaus all on this team. I know Erickson stated that DeMuth would be a utility man at the start of the year. Presumably, they will go back to this plan. Dustin DeMuth can still change minds by hitting when he gets the chance. Competition is not a bad thing.

Brevard County 4, Lakeland 2 Manatees Win in 13 Innings on Cooper Single Brevard County wins 4-2 over Lakeland to Clinch Series Win By Dave Walkovic / Brevard County Manatees http://www.milb.com/assets/images/3/4/2/74264342/cuts/Cooper_4.15_640x360_5og27mjb_ex26yq1p.jpg Manatees first baseman Garrett Cooper, seen here from a game earlier this year, had a two-run single in the 13th inning against the Lakeland Flying Tigers on Monday at Joker Marchant Stadium. (Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography) Lakeland, Fla. – Garrett Cooper’s two-run single in the top of the 13th inning led the Brevard County Manatees (9-9) to a 4-2 win over the Lakeland Flying Tigers (7-12) on Monday Night at Joker Marchant Stadium. With the score tied at two, Clint Coulter led off the top of the 13th with a double to left field against Montreal Robertson (1-3, 6.55 ERA). The next batter, Victor Roache, reached on a fielding error by the CF Jiwan James to put runners on second and third with nobody out. Cooper then delivered with a clutch, two-RBI single to left to give the Manatees a two-run cushion. Tristian Archer was summoned from the Brevard County bullpen to try to close the game out. He struck out Grayson Greiner and retired Ben Verlander on a pop out to start the inning. Raph Rhymes and Francisco Martinez then singled consecutively. With runners on first and second, James flied out to left field to end the ballgame. Archer recorded his first save of the season. Lakeland forced extra innings by plating a run in the bottom of the ninth against Kaleb Earls. Both Martinez and James singled with one out to put runners on first and second. Javier Betancourt singled to left to score Martinez and tie the game. Earls retired the next two batters and forced extras. The Flying Tigers originally opened the scoring on a two-out RBI double by Curt Powell in the bottom of the third. The Manatees responded immediately with a run in the fourth. With one out, Taylor Brennan reached second on a throwing error by Powell. After Coulter flied out, Roache smacked an RBI single to left field to tie the game. Brevard County took the lead in the next frame. Cooper singled to center to start the fifth inning. Paul Eshleman moved Cooper to second on a grounder. After Angel Ortega walked, Steven Halcomb slapped a single into right field. Cooper scored from second and the Manatees led, 2-1. Tyler Spurlin (1-0, 1.00 ERA) was credited with the win. He pitched three no-hit, scoreless innings from the 10th to the 12th. The Flying Tigers had just one base runner against Spurlin, a one-out walk in the 10th. Brevard County starter Brandon Woodruff did not factor into the decision. He allowed just one run on six hits over five innings. The righty walked three and struck out one batter. Steven Peterson tossed 2.1 shutout relief innings behind Woodruff. Peterson surrendered a hit and two walks. He fanned one batter. Earls gave up just the one run over 1.2 innings, despite four hits allowed. Ryan Longstreth, the Lakeland starter, lasted six innings and allowed two runs – one earned. He gave up six hits and walked one. Longstreth struck out five men. The two teams will wrap up the three-game series tomorrow morning at 10:30 AM (9:30 Central). Javi Salas (1-2, 1.35 ERA) will get the start for the Manatees. The Flying Tigers will send Tommy Collier (2-0, 1.00 ERA) to the hill. Brevard County Box Score Brevard County Game Log

Manatees going to the 13th. I'll get the links in the morning.

This stuff always seems to cost you: Brevard County Top of the 9th Taylor Brennan walks. Clint Coulter singles on a line drive to right fielder Ben Verlander. Taylor Brennan to 2nd. Pitching Change: Zac Reininger replaces Calvin Drummond. With Victor Roache batting, wild pitch by Zac Reininger, Taylor Brennan to 3rd. Clint Coulter to 2nd. Victor Roache strikes out swinging. Garrett Cooper walks. Paul Eshleman strikes out swinging. Angel Ortega grounds out, first baseman Dominic Ficociello to pitcher Zac Reininger. Lakeland scores in the bottom of the 9th to tie it.

I added Dave Walkovic's write-up of the Manatees game to the link report above.

Florida Today write up: Manatees’ Coulter has big day against Lakeland Staff report 7:22 p.m. EDT April 26, 2015 manateeslogo.jpg The Brevard County Manatees showed off their power Sunday afternoon in Lakeland as they pounded the Flying Tigers 14-4. Clint Coulter led the attack with four hits, including his Florida State League-leading sixth home run of the season. Coulter drove in three runs and scored another three. Teammate Victor Roache hit his fifth of the season during a four-run ninth inning and also drove in three. Garrett Cooper hit his first home run of the season and also drove in three runs. Taylor Brennan had three hits and scored three times and Paul Eshleman continued his strong start with three hits and was a home run shy of the cycle. The Manatees finished with 18 hits. Brevard County starter Wei-Chung Wang struggled again, going four innings and allowing four runs, three earned. Trevor Seidenberger came in and tossed three hitless innings, striking out four to pick up his first win. Ben Verlander hit a home run, his second of the season. The Manatees, who improved to 8-9, will send Brandon Woodruff to the hill in Game 2 of the series Monday. Ryan Longstreth will get the start for Lakeland and picked up the win against Brevard County in his last start, pitching six scoreless innings.

Brevard County 14, Lakeland 4 Oh. My. Goodness. Clint Coulter and Victor Roache continue to lay waste the Florida State League. Wei-Chung Wang could only go 4 innings. He really is not right at the moment. No audio for this game but he has had trouble locating his fastball the last couple of outings. Final line: 4 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 W, 1 K Trevor Seidenberger, on the other hand, has been stellar. He gets the win with: 3 IP, 0 H, 1 W, 4 K. Tristan Archer closed it out with the last 2 innings giving up no runs. Offense? Clint Coulter 4-5, HR Taylor Brennan 3-5, 2B, now batting over .300 Victor Roache 1-4, HR Garrett Cooper 3-5, 3 run HR Paul Eshleman 3-5, 2B, 3B April 26, 2015 Brevard County Bats Explode in 14-4 Victory Manatees Smack 18 Hits in Win Over Lakeland Lakeland, Fla. –The Brevard County Manatees (8-9) collected 18 hits in a 14-4 victory over the Lakeland Flying Tigers (7-11) on Sunday afternoon at Joker Marchant Stadium. Brevard County’s offense scored all 14 runs in just four innings, highlighted by a five-run third. Trailing 1-0, Stevan Halcomb singled to lead off the third. Halcomb stole second before Lakeland starter Jonathan Maciel (0-2, 9.33 ERA) recorded back-to-back outs. With two outs, Taylor Brennan drilled an RBI double to right to plate Halcomb and tie the game. Clint Coulter then singled home Brennan. After Victor Roache was hit by a pitch, Garrett Cooper launched an opposite field three-run homer to make it 5-1 Manatees. It was Cooper’s first home run of the season. After Lakeland scored a run in the bottom of the third, the Manatees plated three more in the fourth. With one out, Omar Garcia singled. After a Christopher McFarland ground out, Brennan singled home Garcia. Maciel then uncorked a wild pitch. Coulter stepped to the plate and drilled a two-run blast to left to give the Manatees an 8-2 advantage. It was Coulter’s sixth home run of the season. Lakeland scored two in the bottom half of the fourth on a two-run single by Javier Betancourt, but Brevard County would respond with two runs of their own in the fifth. Cooper singled against the new pitcher Julio Felix. Paul Eshleman then tripled to deep center and scored Cooper. After an Angel Ortega strikeout, Halcomb singled to left. Eshleman scored and gave Brevard County a 10-4 lead. The score would stay the same until the top of the ninth. Brennan and Coulter led off with consecutive singles. Roache then crushed a three-run homer to right field. For Roache, it was his fifth home run of the year. Two batters later, Eshleman doubled to left and advanced to third on an Ortega single. Halcomb completed the scoring with a sacrifice fly to score Eshleman. Five Manatees had a multi-hit game, led by Coulter’s 4-for-5 afternoon. He scored three runs, hit the homer and had three RBI. Coulter, Roache and Cooper all drove in three runs. Brennan had three hits, including a double, scored three runs and drove in two. Eshleman went 3-for-5 with a double, triple, and an RBI. Cooper and Halcomb each had two hits. Trevor Seidenberger (1-0, 0.00 ERA) was credited with the win after he tossed three no-hit relief innings. He walked just one and struck out four. Starter Wei-Chung Wang lasted just four innings. He surrendered four runs – three earned – on seven hits and three walks. He struck out one and allowed a solo home run to Ben Verlander. Tristan Archer pitched the final two innings. He did not allow a run and gave up just one hit. Maciel’s final line was not a pretty one. He took the loss and gave up eight runs on ten hits in four innings. The two clubs will play again in Lakeland tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Brandon Woodruff (0-1, 11.42 ERA) will toe the rubber for Brevard County. Ryan Longstreth (1-2, 3.95 ERA) will get the nod for Lakeland. Dave Walkovic Director of Broadcasting Brevard County Manatees Advanced-A, Milwaukee Brewers Ph: 321-633-9200 x3002 Fax: 321-633-4418 Brevard County Manatees 5800 Stadium Parkway, Suite 101 Viera, FL 32940 FEAR THE SEA COW! Brevard County Box Score Brevard County Game Log

Higuera was getting over 17% of the Brewers payroll in 1990, Braun is getting 12%. I believe Braun is still being affected by the hand injury just as Higuera was by his physical problems. This has little or nothing to do with steroids, in my opinion. The cryosurgery only ever treated the symptoms and didn't get at the base problem. Hopefully, this will get better over time. Even if it doesn't though, Braun can't be held liable for injuries in the line of duty. I'm not even going to bother going back to the day Braun's contract was signed and see if those objectors today were doing the same then. I think we all know the answer to that.

In case someone wants to bid on these Manatees/Kennedy Space Center uniforms: Brevard County Manatees Partner Up With Kennedy Space Center May 7-9 http://spacecoastdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Brevard-Space-Explorers-580.jpg By Brevard County Manatees // April 25, 2015 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share on Delicious Digg This Stumble This Brevard-Space-Explorers-580 The Brevard County Manatees announced on Thursday that they have partnered with the Kennedy Space Center to host Kennedy Space Center Weekend at Space Coast Stadium from May 7-9. (Image for SpaceCoastDaily) BREVARD COUNTY • VIERA, FLORIDA – The Brevard County Manatees announced on Thursday that they have partnered with the Kennedy Space Center to host Kennedy Space Center Weekend at Space Coast Stadium from May 7-9. The Manatees will officially change their name to the Brevard County Space Explorers for the weekend. The Space Explorers will wear specialty space-themed jerseys and caps that were designed by Kennedy Space Center employee, Angela Krenn. Angela Krenn Angela Krenn “The shirt design uses images from the Hubble Space Telescope to show the Comet ISON against a backdrop of distant galaxies and stars,” said Angela Krenn. “ISON was the comet which was torn apart when rounding the Sun in 2013. The hat design is an image of Jupiter, also taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. Featured prominently on the front is Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, which is a 10,000-mile wide hurricane-like storm.” Krenn is a cryogenics engineer for NASA, focusing on propellant systems. The space-themed jerseys, seen below, will be available for purchase via auction at manateesbaseball.com. The Brevard County Manatees announced on Thursday that they have partnered with the Kennedy Space Center to host Kennedy Space Center Weekend at Space Coast Stadium from May 7-9. (Zach Clark, SpaceCoastDaily Image) The Brevard County Manatees announced on Thursday that they have partnered with the Kennedy Space Center to host Kennedy Space Center Weekend at Space Coast Stadium from May 7-9. (Zach Clark, SpaceCoastDaily Image) The auction starts on May 7. The caps can be purchased in the Manatees official team store, The Lagoon, located at Space Coast Stadium. “The Kennedy Space Center is excited to share our passion for space exploration with the Manatees baseball team and fans,” said Mike Bolger, NASA Ground Systems Development and Operations Program Manager. “As baseball fans and members of this community, we look forward to an out of this world weekend!” Bolger will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch on Saturday Night. On Saturday May 9, the Kennedy Space Center Event will feature postgame fireworks, NASA and KSC educational exhibits and displays, photos with the KSC Visitor Complex Spaceman, and activities and entertainment for the entire family. ‘Breakfast of Champions’ Recognizes Best Prep Athletes Related Story: ‘Breakfast of Champions’ Recognizes Best Prep Athletes The Fur Circus, a traveling live circus-themed character mascot group who specializes in humor, will also be in attendance. The Manatees host the Tampa Yankees on May 7, 8 and 9 with first pitch for all three games scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Tickets start at just $6 and can be purchased by calling 321-633-9200 or online at manateesbaseball.com For more information on Kennedy Space Center Weekend, contact Chad Lovitt at 321-633-9200 ext. 2017 or by e-mail at clovitt@spacecoaststadium.com

Dunedin 9, Brevard County 8 Blue Jays Walk Off Against Brevard County in 12 Dunedin wins seesaw battle, 9-8 http://www.milb.com/assets/images/1/5/6/74259156/cuts/Roache_4.14_640x360_crd520ry_erj96obd.jpg Victor Roache (Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography) Dunedin, Fla. –The Dunedin Blue Jays (8-9) rallied time and time again in a 9-8, 12-inning victory over the Brevard County Manatees (7-9) on Saturday Night at Florida Auto Exchange Stadium. With the score tied at eight in the bottom of the 12th inning, Emilio Guerrero drew a two-out walk against Casey Medlen (0-1, 1.29 ERA). Guerrero advanced to second on a wild pitch. Derrick Loveless singled to plate Guerrero and win the game for Dunedin. Medlen was tagged with the loss after he allowed three runs – one earned – on three hits and three walks. Brevard County nearly took the lead in the top of the 12th, but pinch-runner Jose Pena was gunned out at the plate by Loveless as part of an inning-ending, 9-2 double play. The Manatees plated two in the top of the 11th and led 8-6. With runners on second and third, Christopher McFarland singled to right field to score pinch-runner Steven Halcomb, but Angel Ortega was thrown out at the plate by Loveless. Dunedin reliever Scott Silverstein then walked three consecutive batters, including Victor Roache with the bases loaded to give the Manatees the 8-6 advantage. Medlen entered to try to close the door, but allowed a leadoff walk to Guerrero. After a throwing error by McFarland put runners on second and third with nobody out, Jorge Saez plated both runners with a double to tie the game. Medlen did escape the jam to send the game to the 12th. Brevard held a 6-5 lead into the eighth inning. With Kaleb Earls on the bump, Matt Dean drilled a solo home run to left, his second homer of the game, to tie the score at six. The Manatees had taken the 6-5 lead in the fifth on a two-run home run by Roache. It was Roache’s fourth homer of the year. The teams traded runs in the fourth. Brevard’s Paul Eshleman led off the frame with his second long ball of the year. Dunedin’s Ian Parmley responded with an RBI single in the bottom half of the frame. Five total runs were scored in the third. The Manatees plated two on an RBI fielder’s choice by Rafael Neda and a rundown situation in which Neda stayed in a pickle between first and second long enough for Roache to score from third. Neda was tagged with a caught stealing on the play. In the bottom half, Dawel Lugo smacked an RBI double and Dean hit a two-run blast. The Blue Jays led 4-3 after three. Both offenses jumped out to hot starts, each scoring a single run in the first inning. Garrett Cooper delivered with a clutch two-out single to plate Taylor Brennan. Mitch Nay scored Parmley with an RBI grounder to second. All-in-all 17 runs were scored on 26 hits and four errors. Brennan went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two walks. Eshleman had three hits, including the homer. Of the 12 Manatees hits, 10 were singles. Wil Browning (2-0, 1.13 ERA) was credited with the win after he got two outs in the 12th. Brevard County starter Clint Terry went four innings and allowed five runs – four earned – on seven hits. Tyler Spurlin was the first man out of the pen and tossed two scoreless innings. Earls allowed just the Dean homer in his two innings. Preston Gainey pitched two scoreless innings in the ninth and 10th. The Manatees will start a three-game series with the Lakeland Flying Tigers tomorrow at Joker Marchant Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 PM (12:00 Central). Wei-Chung Wang (1-1, 8.03 ERA) will get the start for the Manatees. Jonathan Maciel will toe the rubber for Lakeland. Brevard County Box Score Brevard County Game Log Both teams knew they would need to use their bullpens, so it was always going to be a battle of the 'pens. Clint Terry had not thrown more than 3 innings and went 4 in this game. Chris McFarland has struck out 6 times in the last 2 games and had 2 errors in this game, including in the 11th which proved very costly. He did have the go ahead single in the top of the 11th. Taylor Brennan 3-4 with two walks but hasn't hit for much power so far this year. As mentioned in Victor Roache's tweet, Manatees now head for Lakeland. I think Dave Walkovic said there would be no audio from either team for that series.

Manatees blew a 2 run lead in the 11th. Now going to 12. That's it for me. Will link the final in the morning.

Manatees really didn't need an extra inning game tonight with Clint Terry making a spot start. Going to 11th now.

Dunedin 6, Brevard County 3 Not much to like in this one. Seemed like a hangover from yesterday's 9th when the Manatees came within one pitch of blowing an 8 run lead. Hiram Burgos has been having slow starts but getting stronger as the game goes on. Not in this one. While he gave up no runs in his last 3 innings, he was constantly pitching in deep counts and getting in trouble. Final line: 5 IP, 7H, 3W, 5K, 4 R Stephen Peterson gave up home runs to the first two hitters he faced, including a left hander. Tristan Archer worked the 8th and notched 2 K's. Clint Coulter was 0-3 with a HBP. He is not locked in as he was in the previous series. Has been swinging early in the count instead of waiting for his pitch. Chris McFarland and Taylor Brennan each had three K's in this game. Garrett Cooper had 2 singles. Omar Garcia had an assist on a prospective sac fly at home. Brevard County Box Score Brevard County Game Log

There are four major sports (excluding soccer). Three have an ethnic composition that is far out of whack from the general population. Baseball is actually the closest to the general population.

Brevard County 10, Dunedin 6 Blue Jays' Story: Dunedin Rally Falls Short In Opener David Harris goes 3-for-4 with two doubles Dunedin Blue Jays 04/23/2015 10:23 PM ET DUNEDIN, FL - The Dunedin Blue Jays (6-9) mounted a furious rally in the ninth inning, scoring four runs, but came up short in falling to the Brevard County Manatees (7-7), 10-6, in the series opener. Dunedin batted around in the ninth-inning leading to four runs and two pitching changes in the frame. David Harris got the scoring started on a double, his third hit and second double of the game, scoring Emilio Guerrero. Mike Reeves then singled Harris home preceding a Christian Lopes single. Preston Gainey entered the contest for Brevard County and allowed his two inherited runners to score on a Roemon Fields double following a wild pitch. The Jays, though, got no closer and Casey Medlin picked up his third save after replacing Gainey. The Manatees got off to a fast start scoring three in the first and one in the second. They followed that with seven additional runs from the fifth inning on. Clint Coulter highlighted the offense with his fifth homer of the year. The bottom three hitters in the D-Jays lineup recorded seven of the club's 12 hits. Harris picked up three, Mike Reeves collected two base knocks and Christian Lopes picked up two hits. Jairo Labourt (1-2) was tagged with the loss for Dunedin allowing four runs over four innings. Jorge Ortega (2-1) earned to win for the Manatees tossing seven innings of two-run baseball. The Jays and Manatees will square off again in game two of the three-game set, tomorrow, Friday, April 24 at 6:30 PM. Dunedin with send RHP Murphy Smith to the mound against RHP Hiram Burgos of Brevard County. The first 500 fans to enter the ballpark will receive a free T-Shirt courtesy of Rally. Manatees tried their best to blow this game but Casey Medlen came in to close it out. Jorge Ortega was great again as noted by Mass Hass above. Final line today: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 W, 7K Chris McFarland: 2-5, W, 2B, 3 Runs, 2 RBI's Taylor Brennan: 3-4, W, 2 Runs, 2 RBI's Clint Coulter: 1-5, HR, 2 RBI's Victor Roache: 3-5, 2B, 1 Run, 1 RBI (Now batting .352, how many of you expected that?) Garrett Cooper: 4 W Angel Ortega: 2-5 Omar Garcia: 3 W Brevard County Box Score Brevard County Game Log Blue Jays 9th: Dunedin Bottom of the 9th Matt Dean singles on a fly ball to left fielder Victor Roache. Emilio Guerrero grounds into a force out, third baseman Taylor Brennan to second baseman Christopher McFarland. Matt Dean out at 2nd. Emilio Guerrero to 1st. David Harris doubles (2) on a fly ball to right fielder Clint Coulter. Emilio Guerrero scores. Mike Reeves singles on a ground ball to center fielder Omar Garcia. David Harris scores. Christian Lopes singles on a ground ball to center fielder Omar Garcia. Mike Reeves to 2nd. Pitching Change: Preston Gainey replaces Scott Lieser. With Michael Saunders batting, wild pitch by Preston Gainey, Mike Reeves to 3rd. Christian Lopes to 2nd. Michael Saunders walks. Roemon Fields doubles (4) on a fly ball to center fielder Omar Garcia. Mike Reeves scores. Christian Lopes scores. Michael Saunders to 3rd. Dawel Lugo strikes out swinging. Mitch Nay walks. Pitching Change: Casey Medlen replaces Preston Gainey. Matt Dean grounds out, shortstop Angel Ortega to first baseman Garrett Cooper.