Miracle rally to earn split, stay in 1st

Special to the Daily Breeze

The Fort Myers Miracle looked flat for 11 innings Tuesday at Hammond Stadium, but managed to wake up long enough to pull out a doubleheader split against the Clearwater Threshers.

The Miracle dropped game one 7-0 and came from behind to win game two 4-3. At the end of the night the Florida State League’s Western Division looked the same as when the evening began. The Tampa Yankees split their doubleheader with the Sarasota Reds leaving the Miracle in front of the Yankees by one game and the Threshers by 1 1/2 games with 13 to go.

For the first 11 innings the Miracle had one runner reach second base, but in the bottom of the fifth of the nightcap, the switch went on. Trailing 3-0 Steve Tolleson doubled to center and Justin Arneson crushed a two-run homer to left-center to make it 3-2.

With two outs Brandon Roberts walked and the Threshers went to their bullpen for Nate Johnson. He had given up just two homers in 59 2/3 innings, but hung a breaking pitch to Trevor Plouffe who lined one over the left field wall, his third of the season, giving the Miracle a 4-3 lead.

Miracle reliever Danny Powers did the rest allowing just two singles over the final two innings to notch his seventh save.

The teams play another doubleheader Wednesday beginning at 5:05 p.m.