Miracle mystify SaraReds' batters

Three Fort Myers pitchers collaborate on a six-hitter in a 5-2 win at Ed Smith Stadium

BY CHAD BROCKHOFF
Sarasota Herald Tribune

SARASOTA -- Handcuffed by a trio of Fort Myers pitchers for most of Thursday night, the Sarasota Reds managed only six hits and suffered just their fourth loss in the last 13 games with a 5-2 setback at Ed Smith Stadium.

Right-hander David Shinskie struck out three and gave up two hits over three innings of scoreless relief to pick up his fifth win in eight decisions. Fellow right-hander Rob Delaney struck out the side in the eighth inning and earned his first save by retiring three of the four batters he faced in the ninth.

Fort Myers manager Kevin Boles, a graduate of Sarasota's Cardinal Mooney High School, was ejected in the fifth inning for arguing after the Miracle's Juan Portes had a stolen base taken away.

It looked as if Portes took second base when Erik Lis fell behind in the count at 1-2 after swinging and missing a Thomas Pauly pitch. However, Sarasota manager Joe Ayrault was able to convince the two umpires that Lis got a piece of the ball and Portes, who scored later in the inning on a two-out triple by Danny Valencia, was ordered back to first.

Valencia drove in the game's first run with a first-inning single to left field, and Luis Ugueto gave Fort Myers a 4-2 lead in the fourth inning by taking losing pitcher Sean Watson (1-2) deep to right field. Ugueto stole a pair of bases in the sixth inning and capped the scoring on Jeff Christy's sacrifice fly.

Sarasota left fielder Danny Dorn had two hits, including a run-scoring single in the third inning, and has notched 24 hits in his last 57 at-bats.

Notebook: Reds 1B Jeremiah Piepkorn, who returned to Sarasota after batting .158 in 19 games with Double-A Chattanooga, was placed on the seven-day DL with a strained left hamstring. C Fernando Encarnacion and INF Kevyn Feiner were promoted from Dayton of the Midwest League. Encarnacion was promptly placed on the seven-day DL with an injured left toe. ... Sarasota's two-game home stand ends today with a 6 p.m. game vs. the Miracle. The opening ceremonies for the AAU 14-Under Division I Baseball National Championships will be held before the game. The Manasota Meteors and Venice Pythons are among 41 teams participating in the tournament.