DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Ryan Jeffers launched a game-tying home run in the eighth, but the Miracle fell to the Daytona Tortugas, 4-3 in 11 innings, on Friday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. The Miracle scored all three of their runs in the eighth. With Daytona up 3-0, Lewin Diaz led
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Ryan Jeffers launched a game-tying home run in the eighth, but the Miracle fell to the Daytona Tortugas, 4-3 in 11 innings, on Friday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
The Miracle scored all three of their runs in the eighth. With Daytona up 3-0, Lewin Diaz led off with his first triple of the season and scored on a wild pitch. The home run by Jeffers was a two-out, two-run shot that just snuck inside the left field foul pole. It was his fourth long ball of the season.
After each team failed to score in the 10th inning with runners starting on second base, the Miracle came up empty again in the top of the 11th.
Hector Lujan, who tossed a scoreless 10th inning and struck out a pair, remained on the mound for the Miracle. He fanned Stuart Fairchild swinging and then issued an intentional walk to Jonathan India. That brought up Alejo Lopez, who lined an RBI single to left center field to score Jose Garcia from second with the winning run. The ball went off the glove of shortstop Royce Lewis, who reached up and to his right and could not come up with it.
Lujan (1-3) suffered the loss. Ryan Nutof (3-0) pitched three scoreless innings to pick up the win.
Daytona scored an unearned run in the fourth inning off Miracle starter Tyler Watson and added two more in the fifth, one coming on a home run by Bruce Yari. Watson tossed six innings and allowed five hits. He did not walk a batter and struck out five.
Joe Record (one inning) and Johan Quezada (two) each had scoreless appearances out of the Fort Myers bullpen.
The four-game series continues on Saturday night at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. Right-hander Jordan Balazovic will start for the Miracle. First pitch is 7:05 p.m. ET.
