FSL1 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels

Miracle Club Crabs, 10-5, in Rubber Match Victory

Published on July 6, 2014 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels News Release


FORT MYERS, Fla. (July 6, 2014) - The Fort Myers Miracle offense churned out 10 runs on 13 hits to take the rubber match, 10-5, over the Charlotte Stone Crabs on Sunday afternoon at Hammond Stadium.

Trailing 2-1 entering the fourth inning, the Miracle offense pumped out five runs against Charlotte starter Reinaldo Lopez. Dalton Hicks led off with a single into right field and Adam Brett Walker followed with a base on balls. After Lopez (4-4) struck out Travis Harrison, Niko Goodrum coaxed a walk to load the bases. Jairo Rodriguez stepped up and struck the first pitch from Lopez into center field. Julian Ridings caught the ball, but Hicks raced home to score, 2-2.

Then, Tyler Grimes hit a routine ground ball to short. Leonardo Reginatto nonchalantly tossed the ball to second for the force play, but Goodrum beat the throw. With the bases loaded again, Max Kepler roped a 2-2 pitch from Lopez off the wall in right field to clear the bags and plate three runs. Jorge Polanco followed with a double to right of his own to score Kepler and push the Miracle lead to 6-2.

Charlotte edged closer in the fifth with a pair of runs of Miracle starter D.J. Baxendale. With one out, Baxendale (2-1) gave up a hit to Patrick Leonard and a walk to Justin O'Conner. A wild pitch moved runners to second and third. Maxx Tissenbaum then singled through the right side and two runs scored, 6-4.

Baxendale finished the game after five innings while allowing four runs on eight hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

In the sixth, Steven Gruver entered for the Miracle in relief and gave up a RBI fielder's choice to Reginatto, 7-5. After a clean seventh from Gruver, Tyler Jones emerged from the Miracle pen to toss a scoreless eighth.

A two-run lead became a five-run advantage in the bottom of the eighth when the Miracle strung together three consecutive hits and a sacrifice fly off Charlotte reliever Parker Markel. With one out, Hicks lashed a triple into right center field. Walker followed with a line drive base hit to center to plate Hicks. Harrison then doubled into the left field corner on a 3-1 pitch and Walker scored from first. Harrison advanced to third on the throw home and then crossed home plate on a sacrifice fly from Goodrum, 10-5.

Jones returned for the ninth and put the Stone Crabs down in order to record his 11th save of the season.

The Miracle had trailed 2-1 after the Crabs got a pair of runs in the first. Tommy Coyle led off the game with a solo home run and Tyler Goeddel added a RBI base hit. Fort Myers got one run back in the bottom of the first on a Walker RBI single.

Walker finished the game 3-for-4 with two runs batted in and three scored. Polanco was 3-for-5 with a RBI and Rodriguez was 1-for-3 with two runs driven in.

Byron Buxton made his first appearance since May 8 and went 0-for-2. Buxton made a tremendous catch to save two runs, robbing Goeddel of extra bases with a leaping, tumbling grab in dead center field in the third inning. Buxton exited the game in favor of Kepler after being scheduled to only play three innings.

The Miracle (51-34, 10-6) are off on Monday, but return to action on Tuesday evening with a 6:35 p.m. first pitch at Roger Dean Stadium to take on the Palm Beach Cardinals Fans can listen to the action on www.miraclebaseball.com with the 'Voice of the Miracle' Brice Zimmerman. The Head Quarters pregame show begins at 6:10 p.m.

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Florida State League Stories from July 6, 2014


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