Poppen and English Aid in Sixth Straight for Miracle

FORT MYERS, Fla. (July 10, 2017) -The Fort Myers Miracle (13-4) used eight strong innings from RHP Sean Poppen (W, 1-0) and an RBI-triple in the eighth from Tanner English to sweep the Palm Beach Cardinals (9-8) with a 1-0 win on Monday night, their sixth consecutive win.
Poppen dueled all night long with RHP Ryan Helsley who took a no-hitter to the seventh. Both sides struggled to put runners in scoring position. The Miracle didn't put a runner on until the fifth when Zander Wiel drew a walk. Helsley took his no-no to the seventh when Brandon Lopez singled to lead off the inning. The Cardinals' righty finished with 6.1 innings without allowing a run on one hit with seven strikeouts.
The start for Poppen lasted through the eighth which allowed him to earn the win. He surrendered five singles and struck out four, using just 92 pitches to get through the Cardinals' lineup.
In the bottom of the eighth against LHP Jacob Evans (L, 3-3), Nelson Molina was hit with a pitch with one out. After Sean Miller struck out, English stepped to the plate. The leadoff man rocketed a ball to left center that tipped off the leaping glove of the centerfielder Blake Drake. Molina hustled around from first to score the only run of the game. In the ninth, RHP Alex Muren (Sv, 3) took care of the Cardinals with an easy 1-2-3 frame.
The Miracle enjoy an off day on Tuesday for the MLB All-Star Game before beginning a three-game series in Port Charlotte with the Stone Crabs.
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