Miracle belt out 21 hits, blast Marauders 11-5

Kvasnicka finishes a HR shy of the cycle

July 3, 2013

FORT MYERS, Fla. (July 3, 2013) - A crowd of 6,975 at Hammond Stadium watched as the Fort Myers Miracle came roaring back to pound the Bradenton Marauders 11-5 on Wednesday.

The Miracle pumped out a season-high 21 hits and eight doubles. Every player except for Kennys Vargas, who leads the team in doubles, hit for an extra base. Eight players had multi hit games.

Michael Kvasnicka led the charge, going 3 for 4 with a single, double and triple. Needing a home run to become the first player in Miracle history to hit for the cycle, Kvasnicka grounded into a fielders choice in the seventh and struck out in the eighth.

The Marauders tagged Miracle starter Taylor Rogers for three runs on five hits, including three doubles, over the first three innings, but Rogers settled down to hold Bradenton scoreless over the next 3 2/3 innings.

Meanwhile, the Miracle mounted a comeback in the fourth. Kvasnicka tripled home Matt Koch and Stephen Wickens singled to plate Kvasnicka and cut the deficit to 3-2.

Orlando Castro got out of a bases loaded jam in the fifth to maintain the lead, but the Miracle roughed up reliever Robby Rowland in the sixth. Kvasnicka led off with double and scored on Levi Michael's double to tie the game. Candido Pimentel followed with another double that put the Miracle ahead 4-3. Aderling Mejia delivered a two-out single up the middle two batters later to plate Pimentel and make it 5-3.

The Miracle scored six unearned runs off of Rowland in the seventh. In the frame, Michael and Mejia each bashed two-run doubles.

Rogers earned the win. He lasted 6 2/3 innings and gave up three runs on nine hits while striking out five.

Bryron Buxton, Pimentel and Kvasnicka had three-hit games for the Miracle. Mejia, Jhon Goncalves, Koch, Wickens and Michael all had two hits apiece.

Corey Williams struck out the side in the ninth to close out the game.

The Miracle (52-27, 7-5) and Marauders (31-50, 5-8) will enjoy Independence Day off and return to Hammond Stadium on Friday. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. Join Brice Zimmerman and Adam MacDonald for the broadcast beginning at 6:45 p.m. on www.miraclebaseball.com.