Balazovic's brilliance helps Miracle down Bradenton

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Jordan Balazovic followed up his perfect Miracle debut with a career-high 12 strikeouts, and Trevor Larnach collected four hits and two RBI to lead the Fort Myers Miracle to an 8-2 win over the Bradenton Marauders on Monday night at Hammond Stadium.
Balazovic (2-0), pitching for the first time since May 5, collected his career-high strikeout tally in five innings of work. The 20-year old right-hander yielded two runs on three hits. He walked four. Balazovic has now struck out 10 or more batters in each of his first two starts with the Miracle.
After Bradenton grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second, the Miracle offense went to work with single runs in each of their next three turns at bat. Ryan Costello knocked in a run in the second, before Jose Miranda tied the game the following inning with a single. In the fourth, Michael Helman launched his second home run of the season onto the berm in left to give the Miracle a 3-2 lead.
The game stayed 3-2 until the seventh, when Larnach plated a run with a double to left.
Fort Myers blew the game open with a four run eighth inning. Costello doubled, before scoring on a Helman single and a Bradenton fielding error. Royce Lewis pushed the lead to 6-2 with a double off second baseman Chase Lambert's glove. Larnach followed with his fourth hit of the night, an RBI single to center. Ryan Jeffers capped off the big inning with an RBI double off the wall in left that gave the Miracle an 8-2 advantage.
Calvin Faucher and Anthony Vizcaya combined to blank the Marauders over the game's final four innings. Each right-hander tossed two scoreless frames. Vizcaya notched his fourth save of the season.
The game was delayed for 31 minutes prior to first pitch due to rain in the area.
The four-game series now shifts to Bradenton for the final three games of the series. Edwar Colina (0-1, 11.57) will start for the Miracle on Tuesday night at LECOM Park. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m.