Miracle pull out 6-4 victory

By Special to the Naple Daily News

VERO BEACH — Five members of the visiting team picked up multi-hit games on Tuesday night as the Fort Myers Miracle held on for a 6-4 win over the Vero Beach Devil Rays at Holman Stadium. Danny Valencia ended the night with a double, home run and three RBI as the Miracle pounded out a dozen hits in the victory.

Valencia just missed a grand slam in the top of the first as his bases-loaded double, off the top of the wall in right, brought in Brian Dinkelman and Juan Portes for the first couple of runs. Portes would lead off the third with a single to left, and later score on a Johnny Woodard two-run blast to right doubling the Miracle lead to 4-0.

Valencia would connect on his long ball with two-out in the fifth before an Erik Lis RBI triple in the seventh. Portes scored from first on Lis’ three-base hit giving the Miracle a six run lead. Miracle starter Oswaldo Sosa ran into his only bump in the road as Hunter Vick smashed a two-run double, apart of a three-hit Rays seventh, as the lead was cut to four.

Pat Cottrell would single to left leading off the eighth, eventually scoring on a Matt Devins sacrifice fly to left. Down 6-3 entering the ninth, Chris Cunningham belted a solo shot off the scoreboard to bring the Rays within two. Miracle closer Eddie Morlan would then end the comeback with a pair of pop-ups and a strikeout, saving his 13th game of the year.

Dinkelman, Portes, Lis, Valencia and Luis Ugueto each had a pair of hits in the win, despite the Miracle striking out a total of 14 times on Tuesday night. Sosa tossed 6.2 innings, giving up two runs on six hits in the win. Doug Waechter, making his second rehab start with Vero Beach, was knocked around for four runs on seven hits in his four innings of work.

The Miracle will look to take three of four from the Rays, wrapping up the series on Wednesday night. Right-hander Jeff Manship (3-1, 3.13) will square off against Rays southpaw Josh Butler (2-2, 6.84). The game starts at 7 p.m.