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FSL1 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels

Miracle Tied for First in 5-4 Victory Over Reds

August 12, 2006 - Florida State League (FSL1)
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels News Release


FORT MYERS, FL - The heart break of the near first half title is gone. The Fort Myers Miracle spent more days in first place in the first half than any other Western Division team, but didn't win the title. In the second half the Miracle have spent just five days in first place prior to Saturday and haven't been there since July 22, that was until they scored a run in the eighth of Saturday night's game to defeat the Sarasota Reds 5-4 and are tied with the Clearwater Threshers who lost to the Dunedin Blue Jays by the same score.

The Miracle, who improved to 27-20 in the second half and a season high 13 games over .500, squandered a 4-1 lead in the seventh, but with the confidence the club is playing with it didn't seem to bother them. In the eighth J.R. Taylor reached on a throwing error by second baseman Trevor Lawhorn. He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Caleb Moore and with two outs Brandon Roberts walked. Trevor Plouffe hit a 0-1 breaking pitch into shallow center than Marland Williams dove for, but couldn't come up with and that allowed Taylor to score.

In the ninth Miracle reliever Danny Powers gave up a lead off single to J.D. Roberts. Chris Kroski sacrificed pinch runner Hector Tiburcio to second. Controversy ensued when pinch hitter Phillip Gentry hit a grounder to third. Luke Hughes' throw short hopped first baseman David Winfree. Winfree appeared to bobble the ball, but hung onto it and Gentry was called out, which brought Reds coach Joe Ayrault out to argue, but to no avail. Ayrault was forced to argue because manager Doniie Scott had been tossed in the second inning. Powers got Cody Straight to fly out to center to end the game and Powers picked up his fifth save of the season.

The Miracle looked like they had everything in control through the first six innings. The hottest hitter on the Miracle and perhaps the league, Brock Peterson, gave the Miracle a 2-0 lead in the first. With two outs Winfree reached on a two base throwing error by third baseman Jeremiah Piepkorn. Peterson then drove a 2-0 fastball off the top of the scoreboard in left field for his 18th homer of the season, third in three days and fourth in five days. He now has an RBI in 14 of his last 16 games and has hit safely in 16 of his last 17. Peterson finished the night 3-4m with a homer, two RBI and a run scored.

The Reds got one back in the third when they loaded the bases with nobody out. Paul Janish reached on an infield single, Tonys Gutierrez walked and Piepkorn singled to left. Miracle starter Josh Hill got Jay Garthwaite on strikes, but the third strike got away from Moore and allowed Janish to score to make it 2-1. Hill got Lawhorn on strikes and Roberts to pop out to end the inning.

The Miracle tacked on two more in the fifth by way of the long ball again. With one out Trevor Plouffe doubled and Winfree followed with a two run shot off the scoreboard, his eighth of the season, to give the Miracle a 4-1 lead.

Hill held onto that lead until the seventh when he walked the first two batters he faced. He gave up an RBI double to Roberts to make it 4-2. Hill left the game for reliever Chris Schutt. After a fielders choice erased Lawhorn trying to score and a strikeout to Williams, Schutt looked like he would get out of the inning, but he gave up a 1-2 two run single to Strait which tied the game.

The Miracle take Sunday off and head to Roger Dean Stadium for a five game series in four days against the Jupiter Hammerheads beginning on Monday night at 5:05 p.m. with a double header. The Miracle send RHP Kyle Waldrop (2-0, 2.84) to the hill in game one and are TBA in game two. Both games are scheduled for seven innings and game two begins approximately 25 minutes at the conclusion of game one.

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