RELATED STORIES

• Daytona routs Miracle, 9-1, to take 2-0 FSL Series lead

Related Links

• Fort Myers Miracle Web site

More FGCU Sports

• Men's basketball: O'Neil leads FGCU over FAU, 60-55
• Men's basketball: FGCU finishes up non-conference slate at home against FAU
• Women's basketball: Winston Salem State no match for FGCU

Tell us about it

• What would you add to this story? Tell us what we missed.
• Do you have photos from this event? Documents we need to see? Share with us.
• Upload photos & videos
• More ways to get your stuff online and in the paper.

STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

Share and Enjoy [?]

FORT MYERS — Before his start in Game 1 of the Florida State League Championship Series at Hammond Stadium, Daytona Cubs starter Casey Coleman saw many friendly faces in the stands.

The former FGCU and Cape Coral-Mariner standout saw his parents, Joe and Casey Coleman. He saw his Mariner baseball coach Steve Larsen and his former athletic director Vito Mennona. Plenty of friends from high school and college also cheered him on, an estimated 75 to 100 people total.

Coleman sent his personal fan club home happy with a strong performance, pitching out of several early jams in a five-inning stint as the Cubs topped the Miracle 5-1.

Daytona scored three times in the seventh, and twice in the ninth to rally for the win. Game 2 is slated for tonight at 7 at Hammond Stadium.

“I didn’t have my best control and (the Miracle) hit some balls hard off me early in the game,’’ Coleman said. “My fielders made some nice plays behind me and I was able to keep us in the game, and that’s my job as the starting pitcher.”

Coleman didn’t record a single 1-2-3 inning, allowing one run on four hits in his five innings, walking three and striking out one in a no-decision. The only blemish against him came when Rene Tosoni led off the fourth with a home run. Coleman rebounded to retire six of his last seven batters.

“The key in the last two innings was getting ahead of the count,’’ he said. “After the home run, I threw a ball outside, and my catcher (Steve Clevenger) came out to settle me down. I threw strikes and got into a groove.”

As good as Coleman was, Miracle starter Matthew Fox was even better. Fox tossed six shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out 10. Using an upper 80’s fastball and a wicked slider, Fox was in command of a tough Daytona lineup throughout.

“It was a lot of fun out there, I had so much adrenaline going the entire game,” Fox said. “It’s a tough loss, but it’s only one game. We still believe we can get it done this series.”

Miracle manager and Naples graduate Jeff Smith lamented the lost opportunities to score off Coleman early in the game.

“Give him credit, he made some pitches when he had to, but we squandered too many opportunities in the game,” Smith said. “We had so many chances to score. We hit into four double plays in the first six innings, which obviously hurt us.”

Things didn’t go well for the Miracle immediately after Fox departed, as Twins first-round draft pick Carlos Gutierrez, out of Miami, allowed three runs in the top of the seventh.

With one out, Clevenger singled to center and took third on a Ryan Harvey single. Jonathan Mota’s single to left-center plated Clevenger and sent Harvey to third and when Gutierrez’s pickoff throw sailed wide of first, Harvey scored and Mota took second. One out later, Tony Thomas lofted a triple into right field to finish the rally.

Watching from the bench with delight was Coleman, who just four short months ago was helping FGCU to 38 wins in its first season as a Division I program. Drafted by the Cubs in the 15th round in June, Coleman has been promoted twice in a whirlwind first professional season, with stops in Boise (Idaho) and Peoria (Ill.) preceding his two-game stint with Daytona.

"My main goal was to make it to Peoria," Coleman said. "Pitching here has been a nice bonus. I was throwing the ball well in Peoria, and making it to Daytona has been a great experience. I was never able to settle in anywhere, but that wasn't a bad thing. I've met so many players and coaches and I've gotten a chance to see how the Cubs organization works. It's been a great year."

With his innings total in the 130 range, Coleman said this was likely his last appearance of the year, no matter how long this series goes. He said he was going to be able to sleep in his own bed in Cape Coral after a nomadic summer of quick-hitting minor-league stops.

"I plan to get a lot of rest in the offseason and then get back to work with my dad (former major-league pitcher Joe Coleman, the pitching coach for the Lakeland Tigers this year)," he said. "I'm happy with how I've been able to get groundballs early in the count, but I need to come up with a strikeout pitch, so we'll be working on a slider or splitter."

***

Daytona 000 000 302 - 5 11 0

Fort Myers 000 100 000 - 1 6 2

Coleman, Latham (6), Ruhlman (8), Schlitter (9) and Clevenger. Fox, Gutierrez (7), Lugo (7), Shinskie (9) and Ramos. W - Latham. L - Gutierrez. 2B - None; 3B - Thomas (D); HR - Tosoni (FM).