By SPECIAL TO THE NEWS-PRESS

The Fort Myers Miracle equaled the start of the 2003 team Monday with a 5-1
Florida State League victory against the Tampa Yankees at Tampa's Legends Field.

Current Minnesota Twins Joe Mauer, Jesse Crain, J.D. Durbin and injured
prospect Jason Kubel were wearing Miracle jerseys in 2003 when Fort Myers won
its
first five games.

The 1994 and 1996 teams got off to 9-0 starts.

Nick Blackburn, the only returning starting pitcher to have worn a Miracle
jersey last season, went seven innings Monday. Blackburn, the Miracle's fifth
starter, held Tampa to one run on three hits, while striking out two for his
first victory of the season.

Matt Moses once again led the Miracle on offense. He drove in a pair of runs,
the first on a single in the third and the second on a double in the fifth.

Moses has at least one RBI in each of the team's first five games this season.

The Miracle made it 3-0 in the seventh when Omar Burgos scored from second on
a sacrifice bunt by Ron Perodin that the pitcher threw away at first.

Perodin added a two-run single in the eighth. He finished the night 2-for-3,
with a double, two RBI and a run scored.

Jay Sawatski pitched the final two innings, striking out four. Miracle
pitchers faced just two batters over the minimum.

Published on April 12, 2005


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]