PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (June 26, 2019) - Top prospect Wander Franco notched three hits while Joey Roach delivered the game-winner in a 3-2 Stone Crabs win over the Fort Myers Miracle at Charlotte Sports Park Wednesday.With the game tied 2-2 in bottom of the seventh, Charlotte (41-34, 6-3) left fielder
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (June 26, 2019) - Top prospect Wander Franco notched three hits while Joey Roach delivered the game-winner in a 3-2 Stone Crabs win over the Fort Myers Miracle at Charlotte Sports Park Wednesday.
With the game tied 2-2 in bottom of the seventh, Charlotte (41-34, 6-3) left fielder Michael Smith drew a leadoff walk. After he advanced to second on a throwing error on a pickoff attempt, Roach ripped an RBI single to right to chase home Smith and give the Stone Crabs a 3-2 lead.
Charlotte starter Joe Ryan delivered another strong pitching performance, limiting the Miracle (42-33, 3-6) to two runs over 5.2 innings while fanning six. On Wednesday, Ryan became the first pitcher in the Rays farm system to eclipse 100 strikeouts.
After taking the lead, Stone Crabs relievers Simon Rosenblum-Larson (1-1) and Mikey York stranded four Fort Myers runners over the final two innings to seal the series win. York worked a scoreless ninth to collect his seventh save.
In a scoreless game in the bottom of the fifth, Smith laid down a perfect bunt single with one out. Vidal Brujan then reached on an error, allowing Smith to go to second. With two outs, Franco lifted a ball deep down the right field line that Miracle right fielder Trey Cabbage made a sliding attempt on. The ball hit Cabbage and landed fair as both runners scored to make it 2-0 Charlotte.
Still leading by that total in the top of the sixth, Fort Myers fought right back with back-to-back doubles from Cabbage and Jose Miranda to cut the deficit to 2-1. After Miranda advanced to third on a fly out, Michael Helman drove a fly ball to deep right to score Miranda and tie the game at 2-2.
The Stone Crabs are now 9-6 against the division-rival Miracle this season and just 1.5 games back of first place in the FSL South. They'll go for a series sweep on Thursday, with Shane McClanahan (1-0, 0.00) returning home to Fort Myers for a 7 p.m. first pitch. Blayne Enlow (2-1, 1.80) is scheduled to start for the Miracle. Coverage of the finale starts at 6:45 p.m. on the Stone Crabs Baseball Network.
