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Charlotte stifled by Dean in 6-3 loss
Stone Crabs take suspended game, fall short in night cap
08/26/2011 11:43 PM ET
Matt Hall homered in the first game and doubled in a run in the second.
Matt Hall homered in the first game and doubled in a run in the second. (Nick Martinez)
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- The Charlotte Stone Crabs and Fort Myers Miracle took care of some unfinished business before lining up to play their regularly scheduled game on Friday at Charlotte Sports Park.

Anthony Scelfo's single through the drawn-in infield netted the Stone Crabs a 2-1 victory in the completion of a suspended game from Sunday, August 21. The Miracle bounced back to take a 6-3 win in the nightcap behind lefty starter Pat Dean.

Charlotte and Fort Myers resumed Sunday's game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, but needed one extra inning to decide the winner. The Stone Crabs' winning rally in the bottom of the eighth was aided by consecutive intentional walks to load the bases with one out in the inning.

Miracle manager Jake Mauer played the odds with lefty reliever Matt Tone (2-4), hoping to induce a ground ball from the left-hand hitting Scelfo. That strategy backfired when Scelfo singled through the right side of the infield to plate the winning run.

Charlotte had numerous opportunities to win the night cap, but the timing never seemed to be right. The Stone Crabs outhit the Miracle, collecting 10 hits on the night, but all of those hits and all three runs came with two outs in an inning.

Merrill Kelly (8-5) battled his way through five innings, but dropped his third consecutive decision. The righty allowed five runs - four earned - on just three hits, while issuing four walks on the evening.

The Stone Crabs got two-hit nights from Ty Morrison, Mark Thomas and Omar Luna, but were unable to string the hits together to form a sizable rally. Matt Hall's run-scoring double in the fourth was the lone RBI credited to a Charlotte hitter, with the other two runs both scoring on wild pitches.

Dean (3-6) beat Charlotte for the second time this season with seven innings of two-run ball. He snapped a personal long five-game losing streak in the process. The lefty scattered seven hits and did not walk a batter while striking out five.

With two wins over the St. Lucie Mets on Friday, the Bradenton Marauders pushed third place Charlotte to 7 1/2 games back in the second half South Division playoff race. The Stone Crabs have just 11 games left to play this season.

The series continues with a doubleheader on Saturday. Charlotte and Fort Myers will play two seven inning games, with righty Albert Suarez (1-0) facing Miracle lefty Edgar Ibarra (3-10) in Game 1. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.
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