Lis goes deep again; Miracle win again

By Special to the Naples Daily News

TAMPA — Thursday night’s ball game at Legends Field wrapped up the 2007 season-series between the Fort Myers Miracle and Tampa Yankees. The Tampa Yankees couldn’t be any happier. It was the same story on a different night as Erik Lis had another two-run blast helping the Miracle push the win-streak to 11 with a 9-5 win over the Yankees on Thursday night. A pair of four runs frames helped aid the Miracle in another quick start, and another series sweep, now just 2.5 games back of the top spot in the west.

Back-to-back singles by Brian Dinkelman and Steve Tolleson led off the four-run third. After Juan Portes drew a two-out walk to load the bases, Danny Valencia would belt a bases-clearing triple to center, giving the Miracle a 3-0 lead. Valencia would later score on a throwing error by Marcos Vechionacci at third making it a four-run inning.

The very next inning would bring in four more runs for the Miracle moving to an 8-0 advantage. After Tolleson’s RBI-double, Lis would blast his two-run shot to right, only to have Portes join in on the long ball parade with a solo-HR to center for the second four-run frame.

Tampa would jump on the board in the fourth with a pair of runs slicing the Miracle lead to six. Vechionacci delivered with an RBI single before Andres Perez brought him in with his RBI triple to left. Another RBI from Vechionacci, this a sacrifice fly to center, brought the Yankees to within five. Perez again followed with a run-scoring single up the middle, for the final Tampa run, bringing the Yanks as close as they would get at 9-5.

Miracle starter Kyle Waldrop went six innings allowing three runs on five hits in the win. Rob Delaney registered the final two outs in the eighth for the save. Heavy showers in the Tampa area ended the contest after 8.5 innings on Thursday night. The road trip continues in Lakeland as the Miracle kick-off a three-game series with the Flying Tigers at 7 p.m. Friday night.