Miners Walk off on Gates' Homer to Beat Florence
September 4, 2015 - Frontier League (FL)
Southern Illinois Miners News Release
Marion, Ill. - The Southern Illinois Miners continued to have a flair for the dramatic on Friday night against the Florence Freedom, as Aaron Gates led of the bottom of the ninth by slamming his sixth homer of the season over the right field fence to give the Miners yet another walk-off win by a score of 3-2. The win, the tenth this season in walk-off fashion and a remarkable fifth in the last calendar month for the club, also clinched home field advantage throughout the 2015 Frontier League Playoffs for Southern Illinois.
The game began how it ended- with a leadoff homer. Craig Massey worked a nine-pitch at-bat against Freedom starter Patrick McGrath before hitting a solo shot for a 1-0 Miners lead, also to right field. In the bottom of the third, Massey would sneak a double inside first base with two outs already in the inning and then be driven home on a single by Gates to make it 2-0.
Newly-minted pitcher of the year Adam Lopez got the start for the Miners and battled some wildness, walking five batters with two leadoff walks in the fourth and fifth leading to Florence runs. A single by Isaac Wenrich in the fourth made it 2-1, and thanks to an error in the fifth, Daniel Fraga's RBI groundout scored an unearned run in the frame to knot the score at 2-2.
Despite the walks, however, Lopez lived up to the award with just three hits allowed and eight strikeouts, surpassing the 100-strikeout mark on the season to become the fourth Miners pitcher to achieve the total in a single campaign after Ryan Bird (2008), Joe Augustine (2010) and Matt Bywater (2014 and 2015).
Both teams had chances to score in the last few innings, with Florence getting leadoff walks in both the eighth and ninth. In the eighth, with runners at first and second and one out, Eric Green (8-3) came in bailed the Miners out of the jam with a runner caught stealing and a groundout to first. Then after Green himself walked the leadoff batter in the ninth, the lefty struck out the side, setting up Gates' heroics against reliever Tony Vocca (3-4).
The Miners will next go for the series win on Saturday night at 6:05 p.m., with Rick Teasley on the mound in a matchup of lefties against Florence's Zach Wendorf.
The Southern Illinois Miners are the back-to-back Frontier League East Division Champions and the 2012 Frontier League Champions. They have been awarded the Frontier League Organization of the Year award three times since their inception, and also set a new Frontier League attendance record in 2007, their inaugural season. For ticket information, contact the Rent One Park box office at 618-998-8499. For any additional information, visit our website at www.southernillinoisminers.com.
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