Miracle shutout by Dillard, Manatees

By SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-PRESS

The Fort Myers Miracle met their match on Monday at the Lee County Sports Complex.

Brevard County Manatees starter Tim Dillard hurled a complete-game shutout and the Manatees won 5-0 to avoid a four-game Florida State League sweep.

Dillard threw just 81 pitches, 58 for strikes, in his third complete game of the season. He gave up eight hits, all singles, while striking out four.

The Miracle had only one opportunity to score, which was in the third when Denard Span singled to center with Brock Peterson at second. Peterson, however, was thrown out at the plate trying to score.

Peterson was the only Miracle player to reach second all game.

Fort Myers went with a spot starter because they used two starters in a doubleheader at Vero Beach on Thursday.

Chris Schutt gave up two runs in his three innings of work, giving up RBI singles to Drew Anderson and Steve Moss in the first inning.

Josh Gray gave up three runs (two earned) in his two innings of work. He gave up a solo homer to C.J. Medlin and an RBI single to Ozzie Chavez in the fourth. Gray also gave up a run in the fifth when, with runners at the corners and nobody out, he got Anderson to ground into a double play.

Tristan Crawford pitched three perfect innings and Julio DePaula pitched a scoreless ninth for Fort Myers.

Span and Kyle Phillips both went 3-for-4. Ben Pattee and Peterson collected the only other hits for the Miracle.

The Miracle finished just 10-13 against FSL Eastern Division opponents in the season's first half, one of only two teams in the Western Division with a losing record against the East. The last-place Clearwater Threshers were the other.

Fort Myers has a day off today before heading to Sarasota to face the Reds at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

The Miracle are scheduled to start Nick Blackburn (5-2, 3.20 ERA) against the Reds.