Play resumes, Miracle lose; rain stops second game

The Fort Myers Miracle dropped a rain-suspended game — the first of two contests — to the Tampa Yankees 5-4, on Wednesday evening at Hammond Stadium.

The game was resumed after rain halted play on Tuesday night.

The Miracle hurt their own cause by leaving 13 men on base after scoring just four runs and pounding out 13 hits. The Miracle left the bases loaded in the first and third innings and left the tying and winning runs on base in the ninth.

With runners at first and second in the ninth inning, Yankee closer Edwardo Sierra got Brett Tamburrino on strikes and Kaulana Kuhaulua to fly out to center to pick up his league leading 24th save.

The second game saw Tampa take a 2-1 lead on the Miracle, but rain halted play again, this time in the top of the fifth inning with two outs and an 0-2 count on Manny Mejia. The two teams will pick up from there on Aug. 12 at Hammond Stadium. The game is still a seven-inning contest.

The regularly scheduled game will also be seven innings.

The Miracle welcome the Clearwater Threshers into town tonight for two games.

The first game is the resumption of a rained out contest from July 27. The game will begin at 5:05 p.m. in the bottom of the first inning and will be a nine-inning affair. The regularly scheduled game will begin 30 minutes after the first game and will be a seven-inning contest.