FSL1 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels

Goodrum Steers Miracle to 6-5 Extra Inning Win

Published on May 27, 2015 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels News Release


CLEARWATER, Fla. (May 27, 2015) - Niko Goodrum delivered a two-run single in the top of the tenth inning to send the Fort Myers Miracle to a 6-5 extra inning victory over the Clearwater Threshers on Wednesday night at Bright House Field.

Tied 4-4 after nine, the first two hitters of the Miracle tenth were retired by Clearwater reliever Ulises Joaquin. Alex Swim then reached on an infield hit to start the Fort Myers rally. Chad Christensen followed with a ground ball to the right side. The ball skittered off second baseman Angelo Mora's glove. Mora recovered and threw wildly to first base. The error pushed Christensen to second and Swim to third. Goodrum then bounced a 2-2 pitch from Joaquin (2-1) base first baseman Willians Astudillo to score a pair of runs and give the Miracle a two-run lead, 6-4.

After erasing a three-run deficit in the eighth and ninth, the Threshers put up a fight in the bottom of the tenth against Miracle reliever Alex Muren. Mora chopped a ground ball up the middle. Miracle second baseman Ryan Walker made an errant throw to first. Bryan Haar tracked the ball down and fired to second base in an attempt to get the advancing Mora, but the toss sailed into left field. Mora took third.

Muren then rallied to strikeout out Mitchell Walding for the first out. The next hitter, Chase Harris, laid down a bunt. Muren sped off the mound, bare-handed the ball and made a jump throw to first to retire Harris by a step for the second out as Mora scored, 6-5. After an infield hit for J.P. Crawford, Muren induced a ground out to second from Andrew Pullin to end the game and nail down his first save of the season.

The Miracle jumped out to the early advantage in the third inning. Marcus Knecht took first base to start the frame after being hit by a pitch from Threshers starter Victor Arano. After Engelb Vielma flew out to center, Zack Granite roped a 1-1 pitch from Arano down the right field line and into the corner. Knecht beat Mora's cut-off throw to home plate to give the Miracle a 1-0 lead.

Two pitches later, Walker lifted a fly ball out to left field for the second out, but Granite trotted home to put the Miracle up 2-0 on the sacrifice fly.

Clearwater retaliated in the bottom of the inning off Miracle starter Mat Batts. Harris led off with a double into right center. After a walk to Crawford, Batts got Pullin to tap out to second base, but Harris advanced to third and Crawford to second. Then, Andrew Knapp hit a ground ball to the shortstop. Vielma retired Crawford at third for the second out and Harris scored to give Knapp an RBI fielder's choice, 2-1.

Arano exited after five innings in a no decision after giving up two runs on two hits, three walks and three strikeouts.

In the sixth, Yoel Mecias entered the game and Christensen greeted him with a tape measure solo home run to left field. On a 1-1 pitch, Christensen launched a majestic drive that hugged the line in left before landing well beyond the table seating at Bright House Field.

Batts also received a no decision on the mound for the Miracle after seven strong innings in his Florida State League debut. Batts scattered six hits and allowed just one run with one walk and three strikeouts.

The fourth Miracle run came in the seventh inning. Knecht started with a double. Vielma then laid down a bunt. Mecias picked up, but his throw to first went down the right field line and Knecht raced home to push the Miracle advantage to 4-1.

Clearwater began clawing back in the eighth inning. Miracle reliever Ethan Mildren gave up two runs on back-to-back two-out RBI hits to Aaron Brown and Mora, 4-3. Todd Van Steensel entered to record the final out of the eighth.

Van Steensel (1-2) remained on for the ninth, but struggled. A lead-off single by Harris was erased when Mitch Garver gunned him down at second base trying to steal. Then, Van Steensel issued consecutive walks to Crawford and Pullin. Knapp sliced an 0-2 pitch into left to tie the game and bring home Crawford, 4-4. Van Steensel intentionally walked Dylan Cozens to load the bases and rallied to strikeout Willians Astudillo. Brown then rolled out to first base for the final out of the ninth and forced extra innings.

The Miracle (23-22) are now 7-5 in 12 extra inning games and sport an overall record above .500 for the first time since being 3-2 on April 13. Fort Myers has now won 14 of the last 20 games.

The series with Clearwater (22-23) continues on Thursday with a doubleheader at 5 p.m. Fans can listen to every play of each game beginning at 4:40 p.m. with the MiracleBaseball.com pregame show with the "Voice of the Miracle" Brice Zimmerman.

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Florida State League Stories from May 27, 2015


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