Stone Crabs comeback falls short in 7-6 loss

FORT MYERS, Fla. (May 9, 2018) - The Charlotte Stone Crabs scored four runs in the eighth, but came up short to the Fort Myers Miracle 7-6 Wednesday night at Hammond Stadium.
With Charlotte (16-17) trailing 7-2 in the top of the eighth, Robbie Tenerowicz singled before advancing to second on a wild pitch. Nate Lowe followed with an RBI single to center to make it 7-3. After a Jesús Sánchez single moved Lowe to second, Miles Mastrobuoni dropped a double down the left field line to make it 7-4. With runners at second and third and nobody out, Tristan Gray and Rene Pinto both drove in runs with outs to make it a one-run game.
The Stone Crabs got the tying run into scoring position in the ninth but were unable to score.
Tenerowicz and Lowe both notched three hits on the night. Lowe connected on his organization-leading eighth home of the season, an opposite-field solo shot in the second.
Rays right-hander Nathan Eovaldi started the game, allowing a solo home run over two innings while striking out three. Lefty Brock Burke (1-4) took the loss, surrendering six runs on six hits over five innings. Reliever Brandon Koch made his first appearance in over two years, putting down Fort Myers (16-17) in order in the eighth.  
The key Miracle rally came in the bottom of the third. With the game tied 1-1, Burke allowed a solo homer to Jared Foster to give Fort Myers a 2-1 lead. After three straight runners reached with two outs, Taylor Grzelakowski cleared the bases with a triple to center to extend the Fort Myers lead to 5-1.
The Stone Crabs will start a three-game series with first-place Jupiter at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Brandon Lawson (1-3, 6.35) makes the start for Charlotte against Robert Duggar of the Hammerheads.