Young pitchers making a splash

By DEREK REDD
Naples Daily News

FORT MYERS — Fort Myers Miracle manager Riccardo Ingram sometimes forgets that his two newest pitchers, Anthony Swarzak and Jay Rainville, are just 19 years old. They sure didn't pitch like teenagers in their Florida State League debuts.

When they drive into the Hammond Stadium parking lot, however, he remembers how old they are.

"They've got a little bit of that MTV style with them," Ingram says with a laugh. "They like loud music in their car. When they drive in, I can hear it."

But both Swarzak and Rainville kept opposing bats quiet when they took the mound. Swarzak got a no-decision in his solid debut, allowing five hits and two runs over seven innings, striking out seven. The Miracle dropped that game 3-2 to the Brevard County Manatees.

Rainville fared better in his debut, allowing six hits and just one run over six innings, fanning five, to get the win over Brevard.

With Swarzak and Rainville in the lineup, the Miracle had won three straight and four of the last five as of Wednesday night's games. Ingram watched both pitchers mature quickly when he managed them last season in the Gulf Coast League. And he loves the fact that, while it takes some players three seasons to reach the Florida State League, these two young hurlers are way ahead of schedule.

"It's really, really awesome," Ingram says. "They play good, old fashioned hardball. They go after hitters and are aggressive in the strike zone. They make batters swing the bats and gives the team a chance to make the play."

ALL-STAR UPDATE: The Miracle's three Florida State League All-Stars, Denard Span, Matt Moses and Nick Blackburn are going through their growing pains in their moves to Double-A New Britain. Span, an outfielder who hit .339 and stole 13 bases in 50 games for the Miracle, is batting .286 with two stolen bases in 25 games with New Britain. Moses, a shortstop who hit .306 in 74 games with Fort Myers, is hitting .226 in seven games with the Rock Cats.

Blackburn has made one start for New Britain, going eight innings and giving up six hits and three earned runs for a loss. Blackburn struck out six.

LEGENDS (OF ROCK-N-ROLL) NIGHT: Tommy James and the Shondells will headline Hammond Stadium's Legends of Rock-N-Roll Concert following the Miracle's Saturday home game against the Sarasota Reds at 5:05 p.m. James, with hit songs like "Hanky Panky," "I Think We're Alone Now," "Crimson and Clover," and "Mony, Mony," owns 23 gold singles and nine gold and platinum albums and has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide.

Tickets for the game and concert are $10. The concert will start about 50 minutes after the game.

MIRACLE BEATEN: The Miracle fell 6-2 against Sarasota on Thursday night.