Miracle suffer fourth consecutive defeat

By SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-PRESS

The Fort Myers Miracle went from seeing red to feeling blue in the matter of 24 hours Sunday as they lost their fourth consecutive Florida State League game, this time 5-3 to the Vero Beach Dodgers on Sunday night at the Lee County Sports Complex.

The Miracle came into Sunday's game having lost three in a row to the Sarasota Reds.

Sunday, one big inning was enough to send Fort Myers to defeat.

The Miracle jumped out on top with a two-run first inning. Matt Tolbert led off the game by drawing a walk. One out later, Trent Oeltjen was hit by a pitch. Kyle Phillips followed with a single to right-center that drove home Tolbert and sent Oeltjen to third. Brock Peterson's sacrifice fly made it 2-0.

The Dodgers exploded for four runs in the third against Miracle starter Jay Rainville.

A.J. Ellis was hit by a pitch and Jimmy Rohan singled to right to put runners at the corners. A wild pitch scored Ellis and moved Rohan to second. Xavier Paul's bunt single put runners at the corners again. Chin Lung Hu doubled home a run and Matt Kemp's single drove in two more.

Rainville went six innings, allowing four runs on six hits while striking out three.

Fort Myers managed just five hits for the game, but tried to put together a rally in the ninth.

Trailing 5-2, Scott Whitrock and Jose Leger led off with back-to-back singles. Angelo Fermin's ground ball erased Leger at second, putting runners at the corners with one out. Tolbert's sacrifice fly scored Whitrock to pull the Miracle to within two. Ron Perodin, however, grounded out to end the game.

The teams will meet again at 7:05 tonight at the Lee County Sports Complex.

The Miracle will send left-hander Justin Jones (3-1, 3.21 ERA) to the hill against Vero Beach right-hander Brian Pilkington (4-6, 3.69).