Mariners Fall in Extra-Inning Slugfest to Royals 12-11

SURPRISE, Ariz. — The ACL Mariners watched an early six-run lead disappear Friday night as the ACL Royals rallied for a 12-11 walk-off victory in eight innings at the Surprise Stadium Complex.

Seattle’s offense erupted early, scoring in each of the first six innings and building an 11-9 lead entering the bottom of the eighth. But Ramcell Medina’s three-run walk-off home run capped a dramatic Royals comeback and handed the Mariners a heartbreaking defeat.

The Mariners wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. Leandro Romero launched a two-out solo home run in the first inning before Brayden Corn followed with a solo shot in the second, marking his second consecutive game with a home run.

Seattle broke the game open in the third. Nick Becker doubled before Yonger Bautista reached on an infield single. Romero drove in Becker on a fielder’s choice, and Dalton Davis followed with a two-run single to stretch the lead to 5-0.

The Royals chipped away with three runs in the bottom of the third, but Bautista answered with a solo home run in the fourth, his seventh of the season, restoring a three-run cushion.

Kelvin Alcantara added to the Mariners’ lead in the fifth with a solo homer before driving in two more runs with a two-run double in the sixth, giving Seattle a 9-6 advantage.

Kansas City answered again, erasing Seattle’s advantage before the Mariners reclaimed the lead in the eighth. With Joshua Francis starting the inning at second base under the extra-inning tiebreaker rule, Becker singled before stealing second. A throwing error allowed Francis to score the go-ahead run, and Bautista followed with an RBI single to make it 11-9.

The game’s intensity quickly escalated after Bautista’s hit, as both benches cleared during a heated exchange near home plate. Order was restored without further incident, but home plate umpire Mitch Hubbard ejected Mariners infielder Bryant Mendez and Royals shortstop Jhonayker Ugarte before play resumed.

The Royals had one final answer.

Beginning the bottom of the eighth with the automatic runner at second, Kansas City put two more runners aboard before Medina drove the first pitch he saw over the left-field wall for a walk-off three-run homer.

Despite the loss, Seattle’s offense produced 13 hits. Bautista finished 4-for-5 with a home run, two RBIs, and three runs scored. Becker collected three hits, scored three times, and stole his 25th base of the season. Romero finished with two hits, including his fourth home run of the year, while Alcantara drove in three runs and homered for the fifth time this season. Corn’s second-inning blast gave him home runs in back-to-back games.

The loss dropped the Mariners to 27-18 on the season, but Seattle remains one game ahead of the ACL Angels for the fourth and final Arizona Complex League playoff spot.

The Mariners will look to bounce back Saturday when they host the ACL Rangers at the Peoria Sports Complex.