Threshers Face Miracle for Final Time in the First Half

After dropping their 8th consecutive game to the Miracle on Thursday night the Threshers hit the park Friday morning with one last chance to defeat the Miracle in the first half of the season. Fidel Hernandez got the team started with a lead-off double and then came around to score giving the Threshers an early 1-0 lead.

Dan Brauer then took the hill for Clearwater in just his second start of the season hoping to silence the hot Miracle offense. Brauer had been a solid starter in 2007 but was sidelined spending most of the season on the DL. In 2008 he has come back, but this time out of the bullpen, and has struggled to make that adjustment. In his one previous starting effort of 2008 he had by far his best game of the season, and would look to duplicate that effort on Friday. Unfortunately that would not be the case as the Miracle picked up two runs in the second to go on top and then pounded out to a big lead in the third inning to distance themselves from the Threshers at 8-1. With just one out Dan Brauer was mercifully lifted by manager Razor Shines for Nate Johnson out of the bullpen.

Johnson gave up a double to the first batter he faced adding a ninth run to Brauer's total, and then hit a batter to put runners at first and second. Finally Johnson was able to induce an inning ending double play, but the damage was done with the Threshers now trailing 9-1 heading into the fourth inning of play.

In the fourth inning the Threshers managed to cut into the Miracle lead by picking up 5 runs, and then battled back to tie the game in the sixth at 10-10. Unfortunately the Miracle retook the lead 11-10 in the bottom of the sixth, and the Threshers could not rally for any more falling in the end.

The game was by far the most exciting game of the Threshers' season despite the team falling short in the end. The team now returns to Clearwater for an eight-game stand against Eastern Division opponents for the first time this year. Despite the valiant effort, the SCHMIDT LIST player of the game award goes unclaimed on the day.