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Charlotte Stone Crabs

Miracle Take Deciding Game from 'Crabs 10-5

July 6, 2014 - Florida State League (FSL1)
Charlotte Stone Crabs News Release


FORT MYERS, FL (July 6, 2014) - This is a team that cannot be taken lightly regardless of the circumstances. Over the course of three games against the Miracle in Fort Myers, the Stone Crabs learned a lot about themselves. In the end, Jared Sandberg and his team entered Hammond Stadium on Sunday afternoon with an opportunity to win its first series against their neighbors. Yet the Miracle surged past thanks to a five run fifth inning on the way to a 10-5 victory that sends the Stone Crabs into Monday's off day at 35-50.

Over the course of three days, it seemed like the Stone Crabs were the much more inspired team at the outset. Fast starts allowed Charlotte to take the early lead in the first two games, and that continued against D.J. Baxendale in the finale. Tommy Coyle's opening salvo was a leadoff shot to deep right field, and his fifth home run made it 1-0 just moments into the game. A two out double by Justin O'Conner into right center and a walk by Maxx Tissenbaum continued the inning for Tyler Goeddel, who roped an RBI single for a 2-0 lead.

The task for Reinaldo Lopez was to merely continue pitching as the unofficial ace of the staff. Three singles in the first, with the final blow coming from Adam Brett Walker, cut the deficit in half at 2-1. With runners at first and second, Lopez went full on Travis Harrison before getting a flyout to right to retire the side. The Maturin, Venezuela native would then settle in and retire the side in order over the course of the next two innings.

Goeddel nearly provided more run support with Leonardo Reginatto and Patrick Leonard at first and second following singles in the third. A 2-0 fastball from Baxendale (2-1) was cranked in the air to straightaway center, but Byron Buxton showed why he's the top prospect in all of minor league baseball. The center fielder sprinted all the way back and made a spectacular leaping catch at the warning track for the final out.

Fort Myers loaded the bases with one out in the fourth after a leadoff single by Dalton Hicks and a pair of walks. Jairo Rodriguez' sacrifice fly to left tied the score, and Tyler Grimes' fielder's choice groundout to Reginatto reloaded the bases for Max Kepler. The kid from Berlin cleared the bases with a double and another double by Jorge Polanco made it 6-2.

Both sides scored in the fifth with Maxx Tissenbaum driving in a pair of runs with a single to make it 6-4. Later, with Lopez (4-4) out after four and a third, Casey Weathers surrendered another sacrifice fly to Rodriguez which put the Miracle back in front by three. Leonard then came up with the bases loaded and one out in the sixth, hitting into a fielder's choice which brought the `Crabs back to within 7-5. However, they wouldn't get any closer, and the Miracle made sure of that in the bottom of the eighth.

Hicks rocketed a one out triple off Parker Markel before Walker brought him home with another single for an 8-5 lead. Harrison contributed with an RBI double before Goodrum added a sacrifice fly of his own to double up the score at 10-5. The Stone Crabs only baserunner over the final three innings was Julian Ridings (3-for-4), who hit a one out triple off Tyler Jones in the eighth but did not come in to score. The other standout performances came from Reginatto and Leonard, who both finished 2-for-5. Jose Molina also tossed two shutout innings in the sixth and seventh.

The Stone Crabs head into Monday's off day before starting a three-game series at Charlotte Sports Park against the Jupiter Hammerheads on Tuesday night at 6:30 PM. You can follow all the action by listening to the game on www.stonecrabsbaseball.com via TuneIn Radio, or tuning into 91.7 FM-WVIJ in the Port Charlotte area. The Stone Crabs Pregame Show starts at 6:10 PM on the Stone Crabs Radio Network!

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