Miracle lose to Tigers for 7th time in 9 games

By Special to the Fort Myers News Press

If the Fort Myers Miracle don't win the first-half Florida State League Western Division title, they can thank the Lakeland Tigers.

For the seventh time in nine meetings, the Miracle lost to the Tigers — this time 4-2 on Friday night at Lakeland's Joker Marchant Stadium.

By virtue of the Dunedin Blue Jays' 2-1 loss to the Tampa Yankees, the Miracle remain tied for first with nine games to go, but the Tigers are now just 1 1/2 games back.

Brian Duensing, making his first appearance with Fort Myers since being called up from Low-A Beloit, gave up four runs in seven innings.

With the Miracle leading 2-0 in the fifth, Duensing, who had allowed just one hit up to that point, gave up an infield single to Wilkin Ramirez with one out. Clete Thomas followed with a single to right and Brent Dlugach ripped an RBI double to right that made it 2-1. Chris Robinson, one of the All-Star catchers for the West, hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game at two.

In the seventh, with Duensing still on the mound, Robinson hit a fly ball to right that carried just over the glove of a leaping Deacon Burns and over the fence for two-run homer.

The Miracle got on the board in the first inning when Alexi Casilla reached on an infield single. He stole second and scored on an RBI double by Brock Peterson, who extended his hitting streak to eight games.

Fort Myers took a 2-0 lead in the fifth. Korey Feiner walked, went to third on Burns' ground-rule double and scored on a fielder's choice.