Miracle rack up 6-1 win
The Fort Myers Miracle knocked off the Clearwater Threshers 6-1 at Hammond Stadium Saturday night to even the series 1-1.
The win is the 50th of the season for the Miracle (12-5, 50-37) and gives them a share of first place in the South Division standings.
The Miracle struck for the first run of the game in the first inning after two were out. Mitch Garver coaxed a walk from Clearwater starter Victor Arano. Alex Swim then roped an 0-2 pitch down the first base line to score Garver from first and put the Miracle up 1-0.
In the third, Michael Quesada and the Miracle extended the advantage. Quesada led off with a single into right field and then was bunted over to second by Zack Granite. Ryan Walker lined a base hit to put runners on the corners. Garver then lifted a 2-1 pitch from Arano (3-8) into center deep enough to bring home Quesada for a 2-0 lead.
Miracle starter Kohl Stewart battled through seven strong innings. The only run the Threshers pushed across came in the fourth. Rhys Hoskins led off with an infield single. Chace Numata doubled down the first base line. With runners at second and third, Stewart (4-5) got Willians Astudillo to fly out to center for the first out. Brown pulled a 2-2 pitch into right to score Hoskins from third. Stewart got out of the jam by inducing a 4-6-3 double play out of Mitchell Walding to end the top of the fourth.
Offensively, the Miracle returned fire in the bottom of the fourth. Swim started the frame with a single into center. After Arano struck out T.J. White, the Clearwater hurler hit Jason Kanzler with a pitch. Arano rallied to fan Chad Christensen for the second out, but threw a wild pitch with Tanner Vavra at the dish to move Swim and Kanzler into scoring position. Vavra then chopped a 1-2 pitch up the middle to plate a pair of runs and push the Miracle advantage to 4-1.
The Miracle picked up insurance runs in the fifth and seventh innings. In the fifth, Swim earned his second RBI on his third hit to knock in Quesada with two outs. Two frames later, Garver doubled in Walker.
Stewart scattered seven hits and gave up just the one earned run in his fourth win while walking three and striking out a pair. Stewart threw 99 pitches.
Dallas Gallant and Corey Williams each tossed a scoreless inning in the eighth and ninth respectively to close out the win.
The Miracle host the Threshers (49-38, 12-5) for the third game of the series Sunday afternoon at 4:05 p.m.