Lakeland Tigers Drop 6th Straight Game

LAKELAND -- Runs were hard to come by for the Lakeland Tigers again Saturday night.

Lakeland dropped its sixth straight Florida State League game, 7-1, to the Fort Myers Miracle at Marchant Stadium.

Lakeland (2-7) has scored just two runs in its last 25 innings, both by second baseman Michael Woods. Woods had three hits in the Tigers 8-1 loss Friday and hit his first homer of the year for the only run Saturday.

Unfortunately for Lakeland his blast onto the berm beyond the left field wall was too little, too late.

The Miracle (6-4) built a 3-0 lead with single runs in the first three innings and then iced the game with four in the eighth thanks to a three-run homer by Garrett Jones.

Lakeland certainly had its chances early in the game, loading the bases with just one out in the first inning, when Woods reached on an error, Pedro Cotto singled and Jody Roughton walked.

But Fort Myers starter Matt Yeatman, who started the game with an 18.00 ERA, struck out Tiger designated hitter Chris Maples before retiring Scott Moore on a ground out.

David Mattle led off the second inning with a double to deep left center but advanced no further when Yeatman mowed down the next three Tigers.

Lakeland starter Matt Parris (0-2) also struggled early, giving up solo runs in each of the first three innings. Parris escaped further trouble in the third when Jones doubled but was thrown out at the plate when he tried to score on a single by Kaulana Kuhaulua.