MOREHEAD CITY, N.C.--Morehead City Marlins starter Rodney Quintero lit up the radar gun for three innings in his first start of the year and the Marlins (18-14, 3-1 second half) sent nine men to the plate in the third and eighth inning to defeat the Wilmington Sharks 9-1 on July 4th.  A slew of Marlins relievers held the Sharks (15-18, 1-3 second half) to one run as Morehead City hurlers struck out Wilmington hitters 17 times.

Quintero, a freshman out of Chipola College, consistently hit 93 miles per hour with his fastball in his three innings of work, limiting the Sharks to one hit and no runs while walking three and striking out five.

The Sharks sent newcomer Matt Talley to the hill for his first start.  Morehead City knocked him from the game after just 2 2/3 innings, with five runs allowed, all of which came across in the third inning. After the Marlins went quietly in the first two innings, they sent nine men to the plate in the third and scored five runs.  Talley walked two and hit two batters in the inning while also allowing three runs. Joe Sclafani put Morehead City on the board with an RBI single.  Luke Smierciak (2-for-3, 4 RBI) then hit a two-run single. Chris Schaeffer would make it 4-0 two batters later with an RBI base knock.  Stephen Marino, who reached on a walk, would score on a wild pitch by Sharks reliever Justin Somers.

Wilmington got on the board with a run in the eighth when Aaron Miller, who reached on a leadoff walk and stole second base, scored on an error by Morehead City second baseman Justyn Carter.  

Morehead City would pull away in the bottom of the eighth, scoring four runs on five hits.  Smierciak picked up his third and fourth runs batted in with a two-run single.  The Marlins then made it 9-1 with back-to-back RBI singles by Marino and Schaeffer.

Marlins pitcher Ben White (3-1), making his first relief appearance of the season, got the win by going three innings, allowing no hits, no runs and no walks while striking out seven.  Sharks starter Talley (0-1) was hit for the loss.

The Sharks have now dropped three of their first for games in the Coastal Plain League second half and 10 of their last thirteen overall.  They've scored just seven runs in their last four games.  Wilmington is back in action on Tuesday, July 6 at Buck Hardee Field to take on the Florence RedWolves on Time Warner Cable Two 'Fer Tuesday and Budweiser Party on the Patio.  Gates open at 6 p.m.  Game time is 7:05.