Miracle halt 3-game skid 4-2
PORT ST. LUCIE – The Fort Myers Miracle knocked off the St. Lucie Mets 4-2 in the three-game series opener Thursday night.
The Mirale (6-9) stopped a three-game losing streak and play the Mets (7-8) again Friday and Saturday nights before returning to Hammond Stadium to start a three-game series with Palm Beach, which just swept them in Jupiter.
The Mets got off to a quick start in the bottom of the first inning. On a 2-2 pitch, Champ Stuart hit a towering drive to deep center field. Jason Kanzler tracked the ball to the wall, leapt and appeared to have made the catch. Kanzler then crashed into the padding and the ball popped loose and over the wall for a home run. The homer is Stuart’s second of the season.
In the fourth, the Miracle drew even. Aderling Mejia led off with a single to center off Mets starter Marcos Molina, but was caught trying to steal secon. Molina (0-2) then walked Mitch Garver and Marcus Knecht reached on a fielding error by third baseman Jhoan Urena.
The Miracle grabbed the lead in the fifth with a pair of two-out RBI singles. Kanzler led off with a bouncing ball through the left side, but was erased on a force play by Engelb Vielma. Hitting a tapper on the infield, Mets second baseman Jeff McNeil tossed to shortstop Ahmed Rosario to get Kanzler, but Rosario’s throw hit the dirt and Vielma took the extra base.
Molina then fanned Niko Goodrum for the second out. Mejia stepped up and lined a single to center and Vielma raced home to give the Miracle the lead. Advancing to second on Stuart’s throw home, Mejia then scored on Garver’s base hit through the left side.
Miracle starter Chih-Wei Hu went six innings after giving up Stuart’s home run and did not allow another Met to cross home plate. Hu (2-0) surrendered five hits with no walks and struck out four.
Todd Van Steensel entered from the pen in the seventh and struck out the side in a perfect frame. Van Steensel punched out another in the eighth and retired all six faced over two innings.
In the ninth, the Miracle added an insurance run against Mets reliever Mike Hepple. Logan Wade earned a walk and stole second base. Kanzler then flew out to right field to move Wade over to third. Vielma then lifted a fly ball to left. Michael Conforto made the catch, but Wade tagged up and scored to push the Miracle lead to 4-1. Vielma finished the night 2-for-3 with a triple and a run batted in.
Madison Boer took over on the mound for the Miracle in the ninth. Boer retired Stuart on a flyout to left, but Jeff McNeil singled to center and stole second base. After Conforto flew out to center, Maikis De La Cruz singled through the right side to bring in McNeil and cut the Miracle lead to two. After Matt Oberste doubled down the right field line to put the tying runs in scoring position, Boer coerced a groundout to short by Rosario to end the inning and earn his first save of the season.