Miracle Win in Battle of Division Leaders 8-5 Over Mets

By Sean Aronson
Fort Myers Miracle

ST, LUCIE, FL – West met East in a battle of division leaders on Saturday evening at Tradition Field. The Fort Myers Miracle roughed up the Florida State League’s best pitching team in an 8-5 victory over the St. Lucie Mets.

The Miracle pounded out 15 hits in snapping the Mets five game winning streak, tying a season high allowed by Mets pitching, and never trailed in the ballgame. In the first the Miracle took a 1-0 lead on singles by Alexi Casilla and Matt Tolbert and a sacrifice fly by Brock Peterson.

It was 3-0 in the third when Casilla singled, stole second and scored on Tolbert’s triple. Tolbert scored on a sac fly by Garrett Guzman.

The Miracle, who moved to 17-12, added another run in the fourth when Luke Hughes singled to right-center. He went to second on a walk to Johnny Woodard and scored when Deacon Burns hit a grounder to first, and after getting the force out at second, Mets shortsop Jose Coronado threw the ball away at first.

Kyle Aselton pitched well in five innings of work. The only runs he gave up were in the fifth when he walked Mike Carp to lead off the inning and with one out walked Jesus Flores. Caleb Stewart drove them both home on a double to left. Aselton allowed two runs on five hits while walking two and striking out four and earned his second victory of the season.

The Miracle kept the offense going in the fifth when Peterson crushed a two run homer half way up the batters eye in center field, his third homer of the season, to make it 6-2. Peterson was 2-4 with a triple, homer, three RBI and a run scored.

The Miracle finished their scoring in the seventh when Hughes walked with one out. Kyle Geiger followed with a single to right and with two outs Burns doubled them both home.

Every Miracle had a hit with the exception of Trevor Plouffe, who left the game in the second inning after breaking up a double play. Casilla was 2-4 with two runs scored and Tolbert was 3-5 with a triple, RBI and a run scored.

The same two teams meet Sunday evening at 5:00 p.m. at Tradition Field. The Miracle are TBA while the Mets send RHP Michael Devaney (1-2, 3.16) to the mound.