Miracle blow lead, rally for 7-5 win

By Special to the Naples Daily News

FORT MYERS — After the Fort Myers Miracle saw a late, four-run lead disappear on Friday night, the Miracle were able to battle back with two unconventional runs in the bottom of the eighth to grab a 7-5 win over the visiting Vero Beach Devil Rays. The Miracle have now won four of their last five heading into the series finale against the Rays at Hammond Stadium on Saturday night.

The first two Miracle runs of the night came across in the second inning as 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 a Steve Tolleson solo home run in the third gave the Miracle a 3-0 lead, the Rays’ Matt Devins would deliver a sac-fly to left, scoring Patrick Cottrell, putting Vero Beach on the board. A two-run single smacked off the bat of Juan Portes in the fifth gave the Miracle their 5-1 lead before the Rays made their comeback.

In the sixth, a swinging bunt by Chris Cunningham scored Cottrell while Neil Walton’s single to right quickly plated Cunningham, slicing the Rays deficit to 5-3. After a Miracle fielding error allowed Rhyne Hughes to reach and a walk soon thereafter by Cunningham, to begin the Rays eighth, a wild pitch and groundout later from Walton would have the Rays right back in the ballgame with a five all tie.

After reliever Jino Gonzalez got the first two outs quickly in the Miracle eighth, the trouble would begin after Gonzalez plunked Moore on the back, keeping the inning alive. After a battle with Whit Robbins that 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 again that scored Moore with the go-ahead run. On the same play that scored Moore, Rays catcher Sergio Pedroza’s throw to the plate, in an attempt to throw out Moore, got away from Gonzalez covering the dish which allowed Robbins to score all the way from second base.

The Miracle scored their final two runs of the night without the benefit of a hit against Gonzalez. The Rays lefty worked 4.1 innings, allowing the two runs, on a HBP, walk and two wild pitches in the eighth. The Miracle had just four hits, with the final hit coming on Portes’ two-run single in the fifth.

The four-game series will wrap up at 7:05 p.m. Saturday night. On “Little League Appreciation” night, the Miracle will send RHP Josh Hill (2-2, 2.97) to the rubber against the Rays’ RHP Matt Walker (1-5, 5.40).