FORT MYERS, Fla. (July 7, 2026) - The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels were defeated by the Bradenton Marauders by a final score of 4-3 on Tuesday night at Lee Health Sports Complex.
The Mussels fall to 0-8 in series openers at home. They are 23-7 in non-series openers at Hammond Stadium.
The Mussels’ tied a modern franchise record (since 2020) with an extra-base hit in their 32nd consecutive game. They matched the mark set at the end of the 2024 season and have now totaled 98 XBH during the current streak.
Fort Myers sent Ramiro Villanueva to the mound to make his team-leading 12th start of the season. Villanueva allowed a run in the first and did not record an out in the second inning. The righty exited trailing 2-0.
Nick McAuliffe and Triple-A rehabber Julian Merryweather recorded a combined six outs without allowing an additional run across the second and third innings. Merit Jones took over in the fourth and worked in and out of trouble to put a zero on the board.
Mussel pitching needed 109 pitches to navigate the first four innings, while stranding nine base runners in that time. All nine Bradenton hitters had reached base safely by third inning.
In the bottom of the fourth, Fort Myers got on the board on a sacrifice fly from Ricardo Paez, scoring JP Smith II and making it 2-1.
Jones allowed a run in the fifth on a double from Edgleen Perez, making it 3-1. He struck out the final two batters he faced and totaled four strikeouts across three innings of work.
Eric Hammond took over in the seventh inning. He allowed a leadoff, opposite-field home run to Richard Ramirez, who recorded the first four-hit game of his season on Tuesday night. Hammond worked the final three innings, with the home run being the only blemish.
Miguel Briceno doubled with two outs in the seventh to begin a rally. Back-to-back RBI singles from Ramiro Dominguez and Jayson Bass cut Bradenton’s lead to 4-3.
The Mussels had first and second with no outs in the ninth, but couldn’t bring across the tying run, dropping their third game in a row.
The staff totaled 200 pitches on the night and stranded 14 base runners. Bradenton had traffic in every inning. Fort Myers is now 1-5 in July.
The series continues on Wednesday, July 8. Fort Myers sends Jason Reitz (2.86) to the mound, Bradenton counters with Irwin Ramirez (4.50). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. with coverage beginning at 6:40 p.m. on the Mighty Mussels Baseball Network.