Marauders Shut Out Stone Crabs, Build Upon Tradition

There comes a time when novelty develops into tradition.

For the Bradenton Marauders of the Class-A Advanced Florida State League, that may have been shortly after 5:30 p.m. Friday when Palmetto resident Jared Rife came through the gates. Just as he did last year for the first game in franchise history, Rife led a pack of fans into the venerable spring training home of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“I like being the first one here and being the first one at the ballpark,” the 22-year-old Rife said. “To me, this is the real baseball experience. Being outdoors and having real grass makes you want to be the first one at the ballpark.”

Rife attended 13 of the Marauders’ home games, including a Southern Division championship series game against the Charlotte Stone Crabs, last season. On Friday, he proudly sported a blue T-shirt commemorating his status as a 2011 season ticket holder.

“We needed something rather than have this ballpark sit empty all summer,” Rife said. “We tried having the Bradenton Juice (of the defunct independent South Coast League in 2007). That didn’t go over, but the Pirates are behind this and are able to back a team like this. We had (2,396) last year for the first game.

“It’s really important that the community gets behind this team because it’s all we’ve got right now and it puts us on the map a little bit.”

From the sights and sounds of Friday night’s 2011 home opener, a 13-0 win over the archrival Stone Crabs, the Marauders are trying their best to be embraced by area fans. The announced crowd of 2,644 was greeted by Bradenton players Calvin Anderson, Benjamin Gonzalez, Adalberto Santos and Evan Chambers and entertained by a pirate on stilts and several team employees clad in costumes.

The purpose of the costumes was to remind patrons of the Marauders’ various promotions throughout the season. Pirates Senior Director of Florida Operations Trevor Gooby took on Hulk Hogan’s persona to promote “Swashbucklers and Turnbuckles — Wrestling Night,” which is scheduled to follow a June 24 home game against the Fort Myers Miracle.

“We get to do a lot more promotions and fun stuff on the field (as opposed to Pirates’ home games during the Grapefruit League season),” Gooby said. “It’s almost more entertainment when compared to spring training. It’s a lot of fun. I let my staff get creative on things and let them have fun with it. It’s hard work, but we have fun doing it.”

Promotions bolster attendance, but a solid on-field product is what builds a fan base. The Marauders returned to their winning ways against the same team that knocked them out of the chase for the 2010 league championship and rallied for a 3-2 victory in the bottom of the ninth of Thursday night’s season opener at Charlotte Sports Park.

Bradenton, which dropped to 68-2 all-time in games that it led after eight innings with Thursday night’s setback, started the game with a major-league battery of pitcher Joe Beimel and catcher Chris Snyder. Both Pittsburgh players are on rehabilitation assignments from the parent club.

Beimel pitched a perfect first inning, while winning pitcher Matt McSwain, Jeff Inman and Gabriel Alvarado limited Charlotte to six hits over the final eight innings. Snyder sparked the offense with a 3-for-3 performance, which included a two-run home run to left in the first and a three-run double to left-center in a six-run fifth inning.

“Bradenton is the type of town that is very supportive of its hometown team,” Gooby said. “We have some great fans that are very supportive. I think that it will catch on just like Manatee High football. People are very supportive of Manatee High football. I think we’re going to be the same way by building a traditional winner that they’re going to want to come out and support.”