Miracle win fifth straight
A Monday night rainout didn’t slow down the Fort Myers Miracle, who won their fifth straight game by a 5-2 margin Tuesday night over the Palm Beach Cardinals at Hammond Stadium.
Steve Hirschfeld (5-5) pitched six scoreless innings to pick up the win for the Miracle. The win keeps the Miracle (25-19) in first place in the Florida State League’s South Division standings. The Charlotte Stone Crabs, who beat St. Lucie 6-4, remains one game back.
Hirschfeld lowered his ERA to 2.00, tying former Stone Crabs pitcher Darin Downs for tops in the league. The right-hander gave up just four hits, walking one, and struck out five.
Fort Myers struck for two runs in the first inning Tuesday and never trailed. Estarlin de los Santos, Chris Parmelee and Evan Bigley all went 2-for-4, and Bigley added two RBI.
Parmelee struck his 24th double of the season (tied for sixth in the league), and Leveret added his 16th. De los Santos also hit his sixth triple (tied for fifth in the league).
The Cardinals, who swept the Miracle the last time they were in town, managed two runs in the eighth inning off Michael Allen, who was making his second appearance after a promotion from Beloit. Blair Erickson retired all four batters he faced with one strikeout, to earn his 10th save.
Michael Tarsi, who turned 23 on Tuesday, pitches for the Miracle Wednesday night in the second game of the three-game series.