Merphy Hernandez moved into second place in the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels’ single-season stolen-base history as the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels defeated the Bradenton Marauders 4-2 Thursday night at Lee Health Sports Complex. Hernandez stole bases No. 45 and No. 46, passing Ben Revere’s 2009 total for the second-most in franchise history since 1992.
Anthony Felston holds the Fort Myers single-season record with 86 stolen bases in 1998. Since his promotion to Single-A on May 21, Hernandez leads the Florida State League in stolen bases and is tied for second among all full-season Minor League Baseball players. He has played in 55 of Fort Myers’ 122 games and accounts for 16% of the team’s 280 stolen bases.
Fort Myers Builds Early Lead
Fort Myers took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Hernandez opened the inning with a triple, and Isaiah Lane followed three batters later with an RBI single to score him.
Bryce Fowler doubled to begin the second inning before Quentin Young delivered an RBI single to double the lead. Young stole second during the next at-bat, extending Fort Myers’ streak to 17 consecutive games with a stolen base.
The streak tied the longest in franchise history, set from May 21 to June 9 earlier in 2026. It was the second-longest streak in the Florida State League that season and the longest active streak among full-season Minor League Baseball clubs.
Bradenton scored in the top of the third, but Fort Myers answered in the bottom half. Carson Tinney, who doubled earlier in the inning, scored on a wild pitch, and Young later drove in Colby Turner with a sacrifice fly to make it 4-1.
Pitching Secures the Win
Cristian Hernandez made his fourth start of the season and worked 3.2 innings. He allowed one run and recorded a season-high six strikeouts with the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.
Rainer Marin made his Florida State League debut and pitched 1.1 innings while recording his first Single-A strikeout. Adam Falinski worked two innings, allowed one run and stranded the bases loaded in the seventh.
Nick McAuliffe pitched the final two innings and recorded save No. 1. The victory improved Fort Myers to 67-55 overall and 30-27 in Florida State League play, while Bradenton fell to 52-68 overall and 21-34 in league play.
Fort Myers also won its third game in four games this week.
Up Next
The series continues Friday, Aug. 28, with Fan Appreciation Night at Lee Health Sports Complex. Matthew Dalquist is scheduled to start for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels with a 4.66 mark, while Yonleg Gaetano is scheduled to start for the Bradenton Marauders with a 4.43 mark.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., with coverage beginning at 6:40 p.m. on the Mighty Mussels Baseball Network.
Source: Original report