Fort Myers Miracle 9, Bradenton Marauders 1
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The Miracle posted 15 hits as they scored in five different innings to beat the Marauders. Brett Lorin pitched 4 innings and gave up 5 runs on 8 hits, no walks, with 5 strikeouts. The first 3 runs came in the top of the 1st. Two singles followed by a double drove in 2 runs, then a solo homer gave the Miracle a 3-0 lead. They scored again with another homer in the 2nd, and added a run on a double and an RBI single in the 3rd.
The Marauders got one of the runs back in the bottom of the 3rd. SS Kelson Brown led off with a double into center field. CF Evan Chambers brought him in with a single up the middle. The Miracle just kept piling on the runs, though. Jason Erickson relieved Lorin to begin the 5th. Erickson kept the Miracle from scoring in the 5th, but surrendered 3 runs in the 6th. With one out, a walk and a wild pitch put a runner on second base, and a single put runners on the corners. Two more singles drove in three runs. Fort Myers added a final run in the 7th, with a double, a single, and a sacrifice fly. Porfirio Lopez pitched the final inning for the Marauders and retired the side in order, with 2 strikeouts.
Bradenton put two runners on base in the 4th inning, with a single by DH Calvin Anderson and a double by LF David Rubinstein (who is hitting .414). They also had two runners on in the 7th, when 3B Elevys Gonzalez walked and C Carlos Paulino singled, but a double play ended that chance at a rally. Gonzalez had the only other hit for the Marauders, with a double in the 2nd inning.
Richmond Flying Squirrels 5, Altoona Curve 2
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Three fielding errors by the Curve helped the Squirrels, and led to a loss for the Curve. Starter Jared Hughes made a throwing error on a grounder by the first batter of the game, and that became the first of the Squirrels’ unearned runs after a single and a double play. A double and a single drove in a run in the 2nd inning. A missed catch error by 2B Brock Holt put another runner on base, and though Hughes was able to keep that runner from scoring, the error hurt the Curve in a different way — the throw from Hughes to second base bounced off Holt and into SS Jordy Mercer’s shoulder. Mercer finished the inning, but then came out of the game, replaced at short by Shelby Ford.
The Curve cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the 3rd, when Holt singled and Ford walked. C Tony Sanchez grounded out, moving both runners into scoring position, and a single by 1B Miles Durham plated Holt. Ford also tried to score from second base, but he was thrown out at the plate.
Hughes retired the side in order in the 4th, then gave up two singles in the 5th. A grounder to short gave Ford the opportunity to throw out the lead runner at the plate. Tim Alderson came in to pitch in the 6th. The first three batters reached base, on a walk and two singles. Two sacrifice flies brought in two more insurance runs for the Squirrels. The third Curve error came in the 7th, when LF Quincy Latimore made a fielding error to let a batter reach base. But, Latimore was able to make the throw in to the infield, relayed by cutoff man Ford, to Jeremy Farrell at third, who tagged out the runner, who was trying to stretch the mistake into a 3-base error. Brian Leach pitched the last two innings. He gave up a run in the 8th on a walk, two wild pitches, and a sacrifice fly.
The Curve scored again in the 7th inning. Latimore led off with a double into left field, and he advanced to third base when Farrell singled. RF Brad Chalk’s sacrifice fly plated Latimore. The Curve went down in order in the last two innings.
Sanchez singled twice in the game — once in the 1st inning, when he stole second base, and once in the 6th, when he was thrown out trying to steal second base. Mercer’s shoulder injury has him on a day-to-day situation.
