Miracle even series with 4-2 win over Blue Jays
Special to the Breeze
The Fort Myers Miracle erased an early 2-0 deficit to rally and defeat the Dunedin Blue Jays 4-2 at Hammond Stadium Tuesday night.
The Blue Jays got on the board first with a pair of runs in the second inning off Miracle starter Aaron Slegers. Matt Dean led off with a single through the right side and then Slegers walked Mitch Nay. With two on, Derrick Loveless hit into a force play that retired Nay at second, but put runners on the corners. Dawell Lugo then stroked a single into right to bring in Dean. After Slegers fanned Leblebijian, Mike Reeves lined a base hit into right and Loveless crossed home plate for a 2-0 Jays lead.
The Miracle chipped away in the fourth. Alex Swim extended his Florida State League-best hitting streak to 16 games by beating out an infield hit to start the frame. Dunedin starter Jairo Labourt got the next two outs, but Michael Quesada roped a single into left-center to put runners on the corners. Mitch Garver then stroked a hanging slider from reliever Scott Silverstein into left to push Swim across home plate and cut the Dunedin lead to one run.
In the fifth, the Miracle tacked on a run against Silverstein to tie the game. Zack Granite was plunked with a 1-2 pitch to start the inning and then he swiped second base. Engelb Vielma poked a ground ball to the right side and was out, but Granite advanced to third. After Swim lined out to the pitcher, Chad Christensen delivered a two-out RBI single to right and the game was tied 2-2.
Slegers exited after 100 pitches and the Miracle went to the bullpen in the sixth. Slegers finished with a no decision, but struck out a season-high six batters while giving up two earned runs on seven hits with two walks.
Brandon Peterson entered in the sixth and tossed a pair of scoreless frames. Peterson (1-0) became the pitcher of record in the seventh when the Miracle surged into the lead.
Facing Blue Jays reliever Jimmy Cordero, Granite ignited the offense with a lead-off walk. Cordero then balked Granite to second. Vielma then squared and put down a sacrifice bunt back to Cordero to move Granite to third. Cordero’s throw bounced down the right field line. Granite raced home to score the go-ahead run, 3-2. Vielma was hurt on the play and exited the game in favor of pinch-runner Tanner Vavra.
Cordero’s nightmarish inning continued with a wild pitch that moved Vavra up to second with Swim at the plate. On the next delivery, Swim sliced a single through the left side of the infield and Vavra whipped around third and raced home to extend the Miracle advantage to 4-2.
J.T. Chargois stranded two runners in a scoreless eight and Todd Van Steensel recorded two punch outs in the ninth to preserve the win. The save for Van Steensel is his fourth of the season.
The Miracle (15-17) have won six of the last seven games and return to Hammond Stadium Wednesday morning against Dunedin (14-18).