Miracle ring up 5th shutout
Deolis Guerra posted his second straight win Friday after throwing six scoreless innings to lead the Fort Myers Miracle to a 3-0 victory over the Tampa Yankees at Hammond Stadium.
After an 8-3 defeat the night before, the Miracle were looking for a stopper, and Guerra (4-4) delivered. He scattered five hit, with no walks and one strikeout. The right-hander was helped by two double plays as the Yankees (20-25) never got a runner past second base.
The Miracle (30-16) split the series with the Yankees 2-2. Both Miracle wins were shutouts, including Wednesday’s 8-0 final, and it’s their fifth shutout win of the season.
Chris Parmelee opened the scoring with an RBI double down the right-field line in the fourth inning, driving in Steve Singleton. The Miracle tacked on two more runs in the fifth thanks Ben Revere’s run-scoring single followed by Chris Cates’ sacrifice fly.
Revere and Parmelee both were 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Tampa’s Ryan Zink (2-4) suffered the loss after surrendering three runs on six hits in six innings, along with two walks and one strikeout.
Former Twins draftee Chuck Nolte kept many of his former teammates scoreless in two innings of relief while allowing two hits.
The Miracle bullpen preserved the shutout as Steve Hirschfeld pitched a perfect seventh and eighth, with one strikeout, and Alex Burnett allowed one hit in the ninth to record his fourth save.
The Miracle hit the road for a four-game series with the Brevard County Manatees starting Saturday. The Miracle are 14-10 away from home heading into the matchup of division leaders.
David Bromberg will start for the Miracle seeking his fifth win.