Miracle earn split with Cards
Special to the Daily Breeze, breezesports@breezenewspapers.com
Wilson Ramos capped a six-run fourth-inning rally with an opposite-field grand slam home run to boost the Fort Myers Miracle to a 10-2 victory Sunday afternoon over the Palm Beach Cardinals at Hammond Stadium. The win earns the Miracle a split of a four-game series between the two division leaders in the Florida State League.
Danny Valencia collected an RBI single in the first inning, giving the Miracle (32-18) their initial run of the day. Danny Santiestiban contributed an inning later with a one-out base hit to right, stole second, stole third and scored on catcher Tony Cruz’s throwing error to third.
Whit Robbins pushed his hit streak to a season-high 12 games with an RBI-single to right for a 4-0 lead.
The fourth-inning festivities took a weird turn as Edward Ovalle’s apparent bases-loaded double play was ruled a dead ball on catcher’s interference on Ovalle’s swing. Ovalle, instead, picked up an RBI as the Miracle padded their lead.
Left-hander Tyler Robertson (3-2) earned the win with six solid innings, allowing two runs on three hits, with two walks and four strikeouts.
Cruz’s two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning off Miracle reliever Jose Lugo enabled the Cardinals to double-up the Miracle 6-3 Saturday night.
The Miracle erased a three-run deficit with three runs in the third, before the bullpen surrendered the winning runs in the late innings.
The Miracle host the Sarasota Reds at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday.