MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (Interstat) — In a game defined by early offense and resilient pitching, the Miami Marlins overcame a shaky start to defeat the Cincinnati Reds 7-4 on Wednesday night at loanDepot Park, securing a series split after dropping the first two contests.

A crowd of 8,639 watched as the Reds (8-4) struck quickly against Marlins starter Eury Pérez, capitalizing on defensive miscues to take an early lead. The Marlins (7-5), however, responded immediately and decisively, scoring in each of the first three innings to build a lead their bullpen would not relinquish.

The most important part of the game unfolded in the bottom of the third inning, shifting momentum permanently in Miami’s favor. After the Reds had clawed back to tie the game with two runs in the top of the fifth, the Marlins’ answer was swift and powerful. With two outs and Liam Hicks on first following a single, left fielder Griffin Conine stepped in. On a 2-1 offering from Reds starter Brady Singer, Conine launched a towering fly ball to right-center field that cleared the wall for a two-run homer, his second of the season. The blast broke a 4-4 deadlock and gave Miami a 6-4 advantage, a lead it would not surrender. The homer capped a stretch where the Marlins scored two runs in each of the first three innings, a relentless offensive counterpunch that ultimately decided the contest.

The game began inauspiciously for Miami. Cincinnati’s TJ Friedl led off with a single, and after a double play, Elly De La Cruz walked. Sal Stewart then reached on a fielding error by third baseman Graham Pauley, allowing De La Cruz to score. Eugenio Suárez followed with an RBI double, plating Stewart to give the Reds a 2-0 lead before Pérez could record a third out.

The Marlins halved the deficit in their half of the first. A challenged single by Xavier Edwards was followed by an RBI double from Agustín Ramírez. Catcher Liam Hicks then delivered a clutch two-out single to score Ramírez, tying the game at 2-2.

Miami took control in the second. Conine singled, advanced on a groundout, and scored on a two-out single from Jakob Marsee. Edwards then drove in Marsee with another single, putting the Marlins ahead 4-2.

After Cincinnati tied it in the fifth on a two-run homer by Stewart, Conine’s third-inning blast provided the definitive answer. The Marlins added an insurance run in the seventh when Connor Norby led off the inning with his first home run of the year, a solo shot to left field.

From there, the Miami bullpen sealed the victory. After Pérez departed, having allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits over five innings to earn his first win, relievers Ryan Gusto, Andrew Nardi, and Michael Petersen combined for four scoreless innings. Petersen worked a tense ninth to record his first save of the season. The Reds put the tying run on base in the final frame after singles by Tyler Stephenson and Noelvi Marte, but Petersen induced a groundout and a game-ending strikeout of Matt McLain to strand two runners.

Brady Singer took the loss for Cincinnati, falling to 0-1 after surrendering six runs on nine hits over four innings. The Reds, who had won five of their last six, were held to nine hits and grounded into two double plays, stifling potential rallies.

The victory moved the Marlins back above .500 and sets up a rubber match on Thursday to decide the series. Miami will look to carry the momentum from its potent early-inning offense, while Cincinnati will aim to rediscover the pitching dominance that delivered wins in the first two games of the set.

According to pregame projections, the result was a mild upset. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 7-6 Reds victory, and its ELO system gave Miami just a 50.3% probability to win. The combined 11 runs went under the posted over/under line of 7.5.