DAYTONA BEACH – After taking an early 6-1 lead, the Fort Myers Miracle weathered a late rally and held on for a 6-5 victory Tuesday over the Daytona Cubs.

The win gives the Miracle a split of the four-game road series, winning the first and last games of the series against the team with the best record in the Florida State League.

The Cubs (27-12) lead the North Division standings by two games over the Clearwater Threshers. The Miracle (21-18) remain second in the South Division standings, four games behind the St. Lucie Mets.

Leading 6-4 in the ninth, Miracle reliever Bruce Pugh gave up a leadoff home run to Rubi Silva, cutting the lead to one run, but retired the next three hitters in order, two on strikeouts, for his team-leading seventh save of the year. Pugh leads the Miracle staff with 25 strikeouts in 18 innings.

The Miracle rocked Cubs starter Jeff Lorick (2-1), who lasted just four innings for his first loss of the year. The Miracle scored all of their runs against him with three runs each in the third and fourth innings.

Trailing 1-0 in the third, Miracle Anderson Hidalgo and Ramon Santana hit back-to-back doubles, and Aaron Hicks smoked a line-drive home run over the left field wall to put the Miracle up 3-1.

In the fourth, Santana provided the power with a two-run double and Jhon Goncalves snapped an 0-for-12 streak at the plate with an RBI single.

Santana (3-for-4) led the Miracle by adding a third double in the eighth inning to finish with 3 RBI. The Miracle had seven extra-base hits in the game, six of those doubles. Hidalgo had two doubles, but was thrown out at third in the eighth trying to stretch it into a triple.

Making his Miracle debut, starter Logan Darnell (1-0) allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits in five innings for the win. The left-hander, who was called up last week from Low-A Beloit, coaxed 12 groundouts of the 15 outs he recorded. He struck out two and had just one flyout.

Darnell gave up an unearned run in the first inning, and then cruised through the middle innings until running into trouble in the fifth, giving up two runs. He worked out of a jam to minimize the damage.

With the bases loaded with one out, Evan Crawford’s RBI single cut the Miracle lead to four. Justin Boar, the Cubs’ leading RBI man, then grounded out to first baseman Nate Hanson on a fielder’s choice – with one run scoring from third. With runners at second and third Darnell got out of a jam by getting Michael Brenly to fly out to shallow right.

The Cubs added a run in the seventh off reliever Jhon Garcia, but lefty Matt Tone came in and finished the inning with a strikeout, then retired the Cubs in order in the eighth.

The Miracle return to Hammond Stadium to open a four-game series Wednesday with the Brevard County Manatees, their first meeting of the season. Right-hander Tom Stuifbergen will start for the Miracle.