FSL1 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels

Miracle Fail to Increase Lead in Division With 7-6 Loss to Tigers

Published on August 25, 2006 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels News Release


LAKELAND, FL (August 25, 2006) - With an opportunity to increase their lead on the Tampa Yankees to 2.0 games, the Fort Myers Miracle made too many mistakes on Friday night at Joker Marchant Stadium losing to the Lakeland Tigers 7-6. The Yankees lost to the Dunedin Blue Jays and so the Miracle lead remains 1.0 game with 10 games left.

The winning run occurred in the seventh inning. With the Miracle trailing 6-5 Miracle reliever J.P. Martinez was cruising in his third inning of relief. With two outs he gave up an RBI double to Jim Essian. On a 1-2 pitch to Ryan Roberson he got him to ground out to short, which looked like the end of the inning, however, a balk was called on Martinez, taking away the out and sending Essian to third. Roberson, given another chance, doubled to right-center to bring home Essian and make it 7-5.

The Miracle scored a run in the eighth when Brock Peterson reached on an infield single to third and advanced to second on the throwing error. He took third on a fly out by Luke Hughes and Justin Arneson's RBI infield single got the Miracle within a run.

The Miracle had the tying run on in the ninth when J.R. Taylor led off with a single. Tiger closer Kevin Whelan got Brandon Roberts and Trevor Plouffe on strikes. With two outs Taylor advanced to second on a wild pitch, but Deacon Burns struck out to end the game.

The Miracle got off to a good start scoring three runs in the first. Roberts and Plouffe led off with back-to-back singles. Burns' fielders choice ground out erased Plouffe at second and the return throw to first went awry and allowed Roberts to score to make it 1-0. Brock Peterson followed with a two run blast to left, his 20th of the season, tying Tommy Peterman (1998) and Matthew LeCroy (1999) for most homers by a Miracle in one season and Lecroy's 32 career homers for most dingers in a career.

The Tigers got it all back and then some in the third. Miguel Linares led off with a double. Clete Thomas' infield single put runners at the corners and Juan Francia made it 3-1 with a single to center which sent Thomas to third. Francia then stole second. Jeff Frazier hit a come backer to Kyle Waldrop. Thomas broke from third and Waldrop threw to Hughes covering third, who threw it home to get Thomas, but Hughes' throw went wide and allowed Thomas and Francia to score and tie the game at three. After a walk to Jeff Larish, Brent Dlugach sacrificed the runners over. Jim Essian gave the Tigers a 4-3 lead on an RBI ground out and Roberson made it 5-3 with an RBI single.

The Miracle tied it in the fourth when Hughes doubled and Arneson singled. With two outs Roberts singled them both home.

The Tigers regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth when Linares led off with an infield single to short. Linares advanced to second when he went to steal second and Feiner's throw beat him, but Plouffe dropped the ball. With two outs and two on Larish singled home Linares.

The same two teams meet Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. The Miracle send RHP Oswaldo Sosa (3-0, 2.01) to the hill against Tiger RHP Elaezar Aponte (0-0, 2.89).

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Florida State League Stories from August 25, 2006


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