Miracle sweep Yanks

By SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-PRESS

The Fort Myers Miracle completed a three-game sweep of the Tampa Yankees with a 4-2 victory Thursday night.

The Miracle never trailed in the game and got on the board first, for the first time in six games, when Scott Whitrock homered in the third inning, a solo shot to right-center, his third of the season.

The Yankees answered back in the fifth on a solo homer to right from Hector Zamora, his second of the season. That would be all Miracle starter Errol Simonitsch gave up in an solid pitching performance as he went seven innings, allowing one run on eight hits while striking out six as he picked up his third victory of the season.

The Miracle gave him the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Whitrock started off with an infield single. Omar Burgos lined a single to left that moved Whitrock to second. Ron Perodin then hit a nubber back to the mound. Pitcher Jason Jones fired the throw to first, but Ron Perodin knocked the ball out of first baseman John Urick's glove. That allowed Whitrock to score. J.R. Taylor lined a single to right that scored Burgos and Perodin scored from first when the cut-off man bobbled the ball.

Whitrock finished the evening 2-for-3 with a homer, an RBI and two runs scored, while Taylor extended his hit streak to eight games by going 1 -for-4 with two RBI.

The Miracle open a four-game series at 7:05 tonight against the Palm Beach Cardinals. The Miracle send RHP Scott Tyler (1-2, 4.50) to the hill against Cardinals RHP Chris Lamber (4-0, 2.33).