Blue Jays end Miracle season in 11 innings

Special to the Cape Coral Breeze

DUNEDIN — The are no words to describe the three-game Western Division Championship between the Fort Myers Miracle and Dunedin Blue Jays. Both teams fought to the very end, gave it all they had and left everything on the field, which is the way a playoff series should be played.

In the end, the Miracle came up one run short, losing 3-2 in 11 innings to the Blue Jays at Knology Park in a game that was delayed 2 hours, 25 minutes by rain and ended at 12:25 a.m. Friday.

Each game in the best-of-three series was decided by one run and for the Miracle it is the third time they have lost a playoff series to the Blue Jays. They were swept in 2000 and lost in three games in 2003.

The Blue Jays started the 11th-inning rally with two outs. Juan Peralta, the number nine hitter, singled to center off Tim Lahey. He stole second and the Miracle intentionally walked Aaron Mathews. Lahey then walked Robinson Diaz to load the bases. Ron Davenport, who has been in the Florida State League each of the last four seasons, took a 2-1 pitch back up the middle that drove home Peralta from third to win the game.

The Blue Jays rode the right arm of Connor Falkenbach, who earned the save the night before, for four innings. The reliever allowed one hit while walking one and striking out four to earn the victory. He took over for starter Orlando Trias in the eighth and never left.

The Blue Jays took a 1-0 lead in the first when Davenport crushed a 1-2 pitch over the right field wall, his first homer of the season.

The Miracle tied it in fifth when Steve Tolleson drew a leadoff walk. Erold Andrus singled and Tolleson scored on J.R. Taylor’s ground out to second.

The Miracle took a 2-1 lead in the seventh. Brock Peterson led off with a single to right-center off Trias and Tolleson followed with a walk. Andrus tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt, but Peterson was thrown out at third. Taylor then hit a grounder to second that Carlo Cota booted, loading the bases.

Korey Feiner’s grounder to first was fielded by Christian Snavely, who stepped on first for one out, but his throw home wasn’t in time to get Tolleson.

The two starters were spectacular. Trias went seven innings allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits while walking two and striking out six. Miracle starter Anthony Swarzak went seven innings allowing one run on five hits while walking one and striking out four.

The Blue Jays sent the game into extra innings with a bizarre run in the eighth. Aaron Mathews led off with an infield single. Diaz laid down a sac bunt, but Danny Powers’ throw to second late and the Blue Jays had runners at first and second with nobody out. Powers got Davenport to ground into a double play that moved Mathews to third.

Eric Nielsen then hit a fly ball to left that appeared to be headed well foul, but somehow stopped curving and fell into the left field corner for an RBI single tying the game at 2-2.

The closest threat the Miracle had in extra innings came in the 10th when Taylor led off with an infield single. Feiner sacrificed and pinch-hitter Deacon Burns’ grounder to third moved Taylor to third.

After an intentional walk to Brandon Roberts, Trevor Plouffe struck out to end the game.

The Blue Jays, who won the league’s first-half division title but finished dead last in the second half at 30-37, advance to the best-of-five league championship series against the St. Lucie Mets, who eliminated the Palm Beach Cardinals in the East Division series 2-0.

The Miracle finished the regular season with a league-best 80-60 overall record.