Miracle reflect Rays 7-5

Special to the Cape Coral Daily Breeze

After seeing a four-run lead evaporate in the late innings, the Fort Myers Miracle scratched for two unconventional runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to grab a 7-5 victory over the Vero Beach Devil Rays Friday night at Hammond Stadium.

The Miracle have now won four of their last five games heading into Saturday night’s series finale with the Devil Rays.

The first two Miracle runs came across in the second inning. Dwayne White’s fielder’s choice and Caleb Moore’s sacrifice-fly scored Erik Lis and Edward Ovalle for the early two-run lead.

After Steve Tolleson cracked a solo home run in the third to give the Miracle a 3-0 lead, the Rays’ Matt Devins delivered a sac-fly to left to score Patrick Cottrell. A two-run single off the bat of Juan Portes in the fifth put the Miracle ahead 5-1 before the Rays’ comeback.

In the sixth, a swinging bunt by Chris Cunningham produced a run and Neil Walton’s single to right plated Cunningham, slicing the deficit to 5-3. After a Miracle fielding error and a walk to begin the Rays’ eighth, a wild pitch and groundout later brought the Rays back to a 5-5 tie.

Reliever Jino Gonzalez got the first two outs in the Miracle eighth, but trouble began when Gonzalez plunked Moore on the back. After a battle with Whit Robbins resulted in a two-out walk, the first of two Gonzalez wild pitches moved Moore and Robbins up 90 feet.

With Matt Betsill at the plate, Gonzalez unleashed a 2-2 wild pitch that scored Moore with the go-ahead run. On the same play, Rays catcher Sergio Pedroza’s throw to the plate trying to nail Moore got away from Gonzalez covering and Robbins scored all the way from second base.

The Miracle scored their final two runs without the benefit of a hit against Gonzalez.

The four-game series wraps up at 7:05 p.m. Saturday. The Miracle will send right-hander Josh Hill (2-2, 2.97) to the mound.