Miracle move to five back of Tigers in standings

By SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-PRESS

It took nearly a month, but the Fort Myers Miracle finally gained a game in the Florida State League's Western Division as they beat up on the Brevard County Manatees 11-4 on Saturday night at the Lee County Sports Complex.

For the first time since April 30, Fort Myers won on a night the first-place Lakeland Tigers lost and pulled to within five games of the division lead.

Starting pitcher Scott Tyler and left fielder Trent Oeltjen led the way for the Miracle.

Tyler was spectacular in seven innings, allowing one run — a solo homer to C.J. Medlin in the seventh inning — on three hits while walking one and striking out seven. He made 88 pitches, 64 for strikes, and retired 15 straight at one point.

Oeltjen provided a lot of the offense, blasting two, two-run homers and knocking in five runs.

The Miracle got single runs in the first and second inning before Oeltjen came calling in the sixth. With Ben Pattee on at first, Oeltjen crushed one over the right-field wall for his first homer of the season. Two batters later, Scott Whitrock hit a solo homer over the right-field wall, his seventh.

The Miracle poured it on in the eighth, sending 12 men to the plate and scoring six runs.

With Pattee on first, Oeltjen hit a hanging breaking ball over the right-field wall. Matt Tolbert had an RBI single, Matt Moses had a bloop RBI double down the left-field line and Kyle Geiger had an RBI single. Oeltjen came up with the bases loaded in the same inning and singled to left to drive in his fifth run of the game.

The Miracle and Manatees play again at 1:05 today.