Hu, bullpen blank Marauders 9-0
BRADENTON – The Fort Myers Miracle offense erupted for nine runs on 12 hits and Chih-Wei Hu, Jose Velez and Alexis Tapia combined to shutout the Bradenton Marauders 9-0 Wednesday night.
The Miracle (11-16) return to Hammond Stadium Thursday night to start a seven-game homestead by hosting the Jupiter Hammerheads at 7:05 p.m.
The Miracle blitzed Marauders starter Felipe Gonzalez for eight runs in the first three innings. In the first, Alex Swim kicked off a rally with a two-out single into left to extend his team-best hitting streak to 11 games. Bryan Haar followed with a base hit to right and Swim advanced to third. With Niko Goodrum at the plate, Gonzalez (1-3) balked to force in the first run and move Haar to second.
Goodrum then hit a rocket that landed on the netting over the Marauders bullpen in right field. The two-run blast is Goodrum’s fourth of the season, besting his season total from 2014.
Leading 3-0, the Miracle knocked Gonzalez around in the third for five more runs. Zack Granite, Engelb Vielma and Swim all singled to load the bases with no outs. Haar then worked a 2-2 count before grounding a base hit through the middle and scoring Granite for a 4-0 lead.
Gonzalez rallied to strikeout Goodrum, but Jason Kanzler lined a base hit into center. Vielma scored and center fielder Austin Meadows misplayed the ball as Swim raced home to up the lead to 6-0. Haar and Kanzler each moved up a base to occupy second and third. Mitch Garver chopped a single through the drawn-in infield to plate two more runs and push the Miracle to a commanding 8-0 advantage.
Fort Myers added one more in the sixth on a two-out RBI single by Granite. Eight of the nine starters in the Miracle lineup recorded a hit and the top four batters in the order each had two hits.
Hu (4-0) went five innings to earn his fourth win. Allowing just five hits and one walk, Hu struck out a pair and recorded 11-of-15 outs on the ground with no fly balls reaching the outfielders.
Velez entered in the sixth and pitched three perfect innings. Retiring all nine hitters faced, Velez totaled four punch outs. Tapia faced the minimum in a scoreless ninth to complete the shutout. Tapia allowed a two-out single to Erich Weiss., who was out trying to stretch it to a double to end that game.