Another Crooked Number, Six in the 7th Caps Comeback

FORT MYERS, Fla. (July 3, 2017) - The Fort Myers Miracle (7-3) used a six-run seventh inning to cap a comeback against the St. Lucie Mets (2-8) as part of a 10-7 win on Monday night. Thanks to Mother Nature, a mid-game rain delay in the third inning allowed postgame FIREWORKS to launch after midnight for a true Fourth of July celebration.
The scoring started early and often before the rain sent the teams into a delay. Michael Paez lifted a first inning home run off starter RHP Cody Stashak to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the first, the Miracle countered with four runs of their own against RHP Nabil Crismatt. Zander Wiel provided a two-run double down the left field line. With two outs and Wiel at third, Kevin Garcia pulled a ball to right that Wuilmer Becerra lost in the grey skies. The ball fell 50 feet over Becerra's head as Garcia legged out his first career triple for his first extra-base hit of the season. Jaylin Davis then added an infield single to put the Miracle up 4-1.
In the top of the third, Tim Tebow slapped the first two-out pitch he saw with the bases loaded to the left-centerfield gap, scoring all three runs and tying the game at four.
Due to the length of the delay, both starting pitchers were taken out of the game. St. Lucie plated runs in the fifth and sixth to take a 7-4 lead. RHP Williams Ramirez allowed two runs to score starting with a Jermaine Palacios error on a throw to second base looking for a force out. Patrick Mazeika also scored on a wild pitch, and John Mora came home in the sixth on a double-steal to extend the lead.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Miracle aided RHP Tom Hackimer (W, 1-0) to his first FSL win by scoring six runs. After the first three runners reached against RHP Tyler Bashlor (L, 2-2), Wiel grounded into a fielder's choice and legged it out to avoid a costly double play. Three straight singles soon followed which included RBIs by Brandon Lopez, Garcia (which tied the game) and Davis. After Bashlor was lifted from the game, Sean Miller poked a single to right off RHP Josh Torres to provide the eventual final of 10-7.
LHP Andrew Vasquez (Sv, 1) locked things down in the eighth and ninth to earn his first save.
The Miracle head to Tampa for a bout with the Yankees on Tuesday with first pitch at 7:00 PM.
To stay up to date on upcoming promotional nights, follow the Miracle online at Miraclebaseball.com or through social media; Twitter: @MiracleBaseball, Instagram: fortmyersmiracle, Facebook: Fort Myers Miracle, Snapchat: ftmyersmiracle. To purchase tickets, visit MiracleBaseball.com/tickets. For further information or questions regarding the 2017 25^th Anniversary Season, call the Miracle offices at (239) 768-4210.