FSL1 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels

Stone Crabs Score in Ninth, Beat Miracle 3-2

Published on May 15, 2012 under Florida State League (FSL1)
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels News Release


FORT MYERS, Fla. (May 15, 2012) - The Fort Myers Miracle turned three double plays, but it was the one they couldn't turn in the ninth inning that proved to be the difference against the Charlotte Stone Crabs on Tuesday.

Miracle reliever Ricky Bowen was unable to squeeze a throw covering first base that would have completed an inning-ending double play, but he dropped the throw from Daniel Santana, allowing Mikie Mahtook to score and give the Stone Crabs a 3-2 lead.

Chris Rearick pitched a perfect bottom of the ninth to give Charlotte the one-run victory over the Miracle at Hammond Stadium.

Mahtook started the top of the ninth with a double. After Bowen struck out Derek Dietrick, Riccio Torrez singled to put runners at the corners. Philip Wunderlich then grounded to first and Michael Gonzales started the would-be double play by throwing to Santana at second. Unfortunately for the Miracle, Santana and Bowen couldn't connect to complete the play.

The Miracle had a great chance to break a 2-2 tie and take the lead in the bottom of the eighth. Anderson Hidalgo blooped a single to right field that should have loaded the bases, but Hidalgo headed to second base, unaware that Oswaldo Arcia held up at third and Lance Ray held up at second. Hidalgo was caught in a rundown but Wunderlich turned his attention to Arcia, who wandered off of third and eventually got tagged in his own rundown.

C.J. Riefenhauser was brought in and he struck out Gonzales with runners on second and third to end the threat. Riefenhauser (5-0) picked up the win.

Stone Crabs starter Enny Romero scattered seven hits in six innings. He gave up two runs and struck out four.

Bowen (1-1) took the loss for the Miracle. Starter Miguel Munoz gave up two runs in four innings. Cole Nelson struck out five in four innings of relief. He allowed just one hit and faced the minimum.

The Stone Crabs grabbed an early lead in the first inning. Robby Price led off the game with a single off of Munoz and came around to score when Hector Guevara followed with a double to left-center field.

Fort Myers answered back in the bottom of the frame with three straight singles. Jairo Perez started a two-out rally with a base hit and Arcia followed with another base knock up the middle. Dan Rohlfing fought back from an 0-2 count to poke an RBI single through the right side on a full count. Perez scored to tie the game, 1-1.

Charlotte temporarily regained the lead in the fourth. Dietrich extended his hitting streak to eight games with a leadoff double. He moved to third on a single by Wunderlich and came home to score on sac fly by Steve Tinoco. Arcia's throw home from right field was just up the line and Dietrich was able to avoid Rohfling's tag at home to put the Stone Crabs up 2-1.

Santana and Levi Michael teamed up to even the game 2-2 in the fifth. Santana punched a ball down the right field line into the corner and raced into third with a standup triple. Michael battled Romero after falling behind 0-2 and was able to lift a pitch into centerfield that easily scored Santana on a sac fly.

The Miracle and Stone Crabs will complete their four-game series on Wednesday at Hammond Stadium. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.

Listen to the "Voice of the Miracle" Brice Zimmerman and Adam MacDonald on www.miraclebaseball.com. The State Farm Pregame Show begins at 6:45 p.m.

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Florida State League Stories from May 15, 2012


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