MIAMI – Jeff Conine hit a two-run homer and Luis Castillo matched a career high with four hits to help the Florida Marlins beat Atlanta for the first time in five tries this season, 7-4 Saturday night.

Brad Penny (2-1) allowed two runs in six innings and tied Ryan Dempster’s franchise record of 42 victories.

Conine’s first homer of the year came off Mike Hampton (0-2), who found himself behind 4-0 after facing six batters. Mike Lowell singled home Florida’s first run, and a hustling Castillo scored from third on a foulout to second baseman Marcus Giles down the right-field line before Conine homered.

The Marlins added three runs in the seventh with five consecutive singles. Wil Cordero drove in one run, another scored on a passed ball by Johnny Estrada, and Antonio Alfonseca’s wild pitch made it 7-3.

With a crowd of 41,226, the Marlins topped 40,000 for the third time in eight home games this season. Under the terms of a doughnut chain’s season-long promotion, ticket-holders are entitled to a dozen free doughnuts for the first time because the Marlins totaled at least 12 hits.

They finished with 13.

Castillo had a hit in his first four at-bats, all against Hampton. Castillo, who came into the game in a 1-for-15 slump, improved his lifetime average against Hampton to .424 (14-for-33).

Cordero went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, hiking his average from .100 to .174.

Armando Benitez, who began the weekend tied for the major league lead in saves, worked the ninth to improve to 9-for-9.

Andruw Jones hit his fourth homer for Atlanta, but also grounded into an inning-ending double play to kill a rally in the seventh when the Braves trailed 4-3. Rafael Furcal hit into a double play with two on to end the eighth.

Juan Pierre led off Florida’s first with a walk and took third on a double by Castillo. Lowell’s single made it 1-0, and Cordero’s foulout scored Castillo, who beat Giles’ wide throw with a headfirst slide.

Conine then golfed a two-run homer over the scoreboard.

Atlanta made it 4-2 in the third when Jones homered after J.D. Drew singled. Jones has six homers in 36 at-bats against Penny.

Braves pinch-hitter Julio Franco singled home a run in the eighth off Chad Fox.

Notes: The Marlins’ losing streak against the Braves was their longest since dropping 11 in a row to Atlanta from July 1994 to August 1995. … Dempster went 42-43 for Florida from 1998 to 2002. … Florida’s Miguel Cabrera left five runners in scoring position, all in the first four innings. … The Marlins will give away commemorative championship rings to the first 30,000 fans at their game May 31 against Cincinnati. Florida had a similar giveaway earlier this month, and some fans were unhappy about going without when ushers ran out of rings.

AP-ES-04-24-04 2052EDT