Charlotte Stone Crabs tie Divisional Series with win against Fort Myers

The Game: The Charlotte Stone Crabs battled back to tie the FSL Divisional Playoffs with a 7-4 win against the Fort Myers Miracle on Wednesday night at Charlotte Sports Park. With the win, the Stone Crabs evened the series at a game a piece to force the series to game three.

The Stone Crabs took the lead in the second inning, posting four runs to the scoreboard. Henry Wrigley and Shawn Williams led off the inning with back to back singles to left field. Ryan Royster followed with an RBI double to score Wrigley and move Williams to third. Ian Paxton then drove home a run with a single that scored Williams and advanced Royster to third. Royster later scored on a wild pitch. Emeel Salem drove home the fourth run of the inning with a single to right that scored Paxton and gave the Stone Crabs a 4-0 lead.

Charlotte added three more runs to their total in the fourth inning. Ryan Royster drew a walk to get the inning started. Ian Paxton followed with a single to left. Omar Luna pushed both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Matt Hall followed then reached on a fielder’s choice, scoring Royster but losing Paxton on the play at third. Emeel Salem then drew a walk to put runners on first and second. Drew Anderson followed with an RBI single to score Hall. Salem later scored on a single by Greg Sexton, increasing the Stone Crabs lead to 7-0.

Fort Myers got on the scoreboard in the fourth inning, leading off the inning with back to back walks to Chris Parmelee and Mark Dolenc. Joe Benson followed with a single to right to load the bases. Allan de San Miguel then delivered a ground ball to short that scored Parmelee and gave the Miracle their first run of the night.

The Miracle collected three more runs in the sixth inning. Once again the drive began by back to back walks, this time to Joe Benson and Deibinson Romero. Nick Romero followed with a three run home run to clear the bases for the Miracle. But Charlotte held off the Miracle to earn a 7-4 victory.

Alex Cobb picked up the win by pitching 5 innings and allowing 1 run on 6 hits with 3 strikeouts and 3 walks. Austin Hinkle followed with 1/3 of an innings and allowed 3 runs on 1 hit with a strikeout and a walk. Marquis Fleming pitched 2 2/3 no hit innings and struck out 6 and walked 2. Richard De Los Santos earned the save with a no hit ninth inning. Tyler Robertson was the losing pitcher for Fort Myers.

What Went Right: Ryan Royster; 1 for 2 with a double, 2 walks and 2 runs scored. Marquis Fleming; 2 2/3 innings with no hits and 6 strikeouts.

What Went Wrong: Austin Hinkle; surrendered 3 runs in 1/3 of an inning and allowed 2 walks.

A Look Ahead: The Stone Crabs and Miracle face off in the pivotal game three on Thursday night at Hammond Stadium. With the series tied at 1-1, the winner of the game will go on to face the Tampa Yankees in the FSL Championship series on Friday. David Newmann will get the start for the Stone Crabs.