Miracle sweep doubleheader in Sarasota

By Special to the Naples Daily News

SARASOTA — Two runs in the top of the seventh in Game 1 followed by a nightcap win in extra innings enabled the Fort Myers Miracle to pick up a doubleheader sweep over the Sarasota Reds on Thursday night. Steve Tolleson had three doubles in the opener to go along with Johnny Woodard’s three-run blast, while Juan Portes anchored the offense in the Game 2 win.

In Game 1, the Reds wasted little time in picking up where they left off on Wednesday as Cody Strait belted an opposite-field solo shot to lead off the first. Thanks to three straight hits in the fourth, Sarasota would tack on a couple more runs for a 3-0 lead. A lead-off single from Chris Valaika, RBI double from Tonys Gutierrez and RBI single off the bat of Eric Eymann would quickly give the Reds their pair of runs.

In the Miracle sixth, a lead-off single by Portes and two-base hit by Dwayne White set the table for Woodard. Woodard took an inside fastball from starter Homer Bailey and sent a rocket out of Ed Smith Stadium over the right-field wall. Bailey on rehab from triple-A Louisville ended his night on Woodard’s round tripper tossing five innings, allowing the three runs on seven hits.

A go-ahead Reds run came back a half-inning later thanks to a lead-off single by Eric Eymann and a sacrifice bunt by Jeremiah Piepkorn. Small ball by Sarasota continued as a sac-fly to center from Chris Kroski gave the Reds another one-run lead. The Miracle battled back for the two decisive runs in the seventh for the Game 1 win.

Tolleson’s third double of the game started the ball rolling as Erik Lis followed with a single to center along with Dustin Martin’s flare single to center plating Tolleson to tie the contest at four. A fly ball to right by Portes ended up in and out of Cody Strait’s glove which allowed Lis to score the eventual game-winner.

In the nightcap, after a three up, three down first frame in Game 2, both teams would trade a pair of runs in the second. The two Miracle runs would come without the benefit of a base hit. Portes drew a lead-off walk while Martin would lay down a sacrifice-bunt to third. Eymann’s throw from third ended up down the right-field line scoring Portes and sending Martin to third.

Gutierrez led off the Reds second with a single to left, and scored a couple of hitters later of Szymanski’s triple down the right-field line. The next hitter, Gerardo Cabrera, would plate Szymanski with his sacrifice fly to right.

A 2-2 game heading into extra innings, the Miracle would plate the eventual game-winning run in the top of the ninth. Portes doubled off the top of the wall in left, just missing a solo-shot, to put himself in scoring position. On a hit-and-run, Martin would slap a base-hit through the right-side of the infield for the go-ahead run.

Former Miracle lefty Alexander Smit made the start for the Reds in the nightcap. Smit shutdown the Miracle by not allowing a single hit in his seven innings of work, giving up two unearned runs with nine strikeouts in the no decision. J.P. Martinez threw five innings of relief in game two allowing just three hits with four strikeouts in the win.

The Miracle now head to Dunedin for the final series of the season against the Blue Jays. Game 1 of the weekend set will take place on Friday night at 7 p.m. The Miracle will have a chance to play spoiler against the Jays this weekend as Dunedin now finds themselves tied with Clearwater and a half-game ahead of Tampa with the upcoming weekend play to determine the final playoff spot.