Miracle Walk Off After Back-and-Forth Thresher Thriller
Published on June 4, 2009 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels News Release
FORT MYERS -- After six lead changes and ten innings, the Fort Myers Miracle were the ones left standing in a 9-8 instant classic over the Clearwater Threshers. The Miracle snapped a season-long three-game losing streak.
Deibinson Romero's one-out sacrifice fly in the tenth inning chased Ben Revere home from third base with the winning run. Revere, pinch- hitting to start the inning, had reached on a throwing error by second baseman Fidel Hernandez.
The play capped a wild back-and-forth game where the Miracle offense, which had managed just one run in the last three games, woke up and repeatedly came through in the clutch.
The Miracle (33-19) struck first in the bottom of the first with two outs. After Romero's double, Rene Leveret grounded back up the middle for an RBI single. The Threshers (25-24) responded immediately against the rehabbing Glen Perkins. Cody Overbeck launched a two-run shot to left-center followed later in the inning with a Derrick Mitchell solo blast. A small Miracle rally in the bottom of the frame made the score 3-2, Clearwater.
The Phillies affiliate added two more in the fourth but the Miracle quickly got one back. The score stayed 5-3 until the bottom of the seventh inning.
Chris Parmelee drew a bases-loaded walk against Dan Brauer to score one, then Evan Bigley lined Miguel Tejeda's next pitch to deep left- center field, just missing a grand slam by a few feet. Instead the ball bounded over the wall for a ground-rule double, scoring two more and handing the Miracle a 6-5 advantage.
Yet even that wouldn't last. Clearwater plated two runs in the eighth -- one on a Santos Arias balk -- to set the stage for another Miracle comeback. Fort Myers scored two in the bottom of the same inning on back-to-back RBI singles from Romero and Rene Leveret.
Arias remained in the game for the top of the ninth and gave up a game- tying home run to Tim Kennelly with one out. The two teams had scoring opportunities in their next at-bats but the pieces didn't come together until the tenth after Revere's arrival at first on an error, followed by a steal of second, then a sacrifice bunt, and eventual score on the sacrifice fly.
Arias (3-0) secured the victory with two and two-thirds of relief of four-hit, one run ball and two strikeouts. Glen Perkins went four innings in his first of two scheduled rehab appearances. The Twins left-hander gave up six hits, five runs, three of them earned, and struck out five.
Chris Kissock (0-3) suffered the loss, working two innings with three hits, one run (unearned), and one walk allowed.
Romero paced the Miracle with a 3-for-5 day at the plate with two runs scored, two RBI, and a double. Evan Bigley also was 3-for-5, recording a run scored, two RBI, and a double. Nick Romero and Rene Leveret contributed two hits each while Chris Cates was 3-for-5.
Mark Dolenc, Leveret (two), and Parmelee also contributed runs batted in.
Fort Myers will host the Threshers for game three of the series at 7:05 p.m. on Friday. Julian Sampson and David Bromberg are the probable starters.
Florida State League Stories from June 4, 2009
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