Miners Take Game One at River City Behind Pair of Homers
September 11, 2015 - Frontier League (FL)
Southern Illinois Miners News Release
Marion, Ill. (September 10, 2015) - The Southern Illinois Miners were tied at 3-3 with the rival River City Rascals heading into the ninth inning on Thursday night at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O'Fallon, Missouri, but Niko Vasquez crushed a solo shot to left to lead off the inning and Brian Portelli provided insurance with another solo homer later in the frame to elevate the Miners past the Rascals by a score of 5-3, delivering a win in a classic, back-and-forth playoff game. The Miners now have a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three Frontier League Division Series.
It was River City getting on the board first against Miners starter Jarett Miller. In the second inning with one out, Hector Crespo singled, then stole second and went to third on a groundout. Josh Ludy then hit Miller's 0-1 pitch to right-center field for an RBI double and a 1-0 lead for the home team. It would be the last lead they would have in the game.
Southern Illinois got on the board and took the lead in the top of the fourth against River City starter Lucas Laster. After Craig Massey got on with a two-base error on Taylor Ard at third base, two batters later Michael Earley pulled a ground-rule double down the third base line to tie the game at 1-1. Three consecutive singles followed, as Vasquez and Jerrud Sabourin plated one run apiece to give the Miners a 3-1 lead.
That lead would hold until the bottom of the fifth, when with two outs and a man on first, a single and a passed ball put runners at second and third. Johnny Morales then hit a two-run single to center field to tie the score at 3-3. Both bullpens held the other team down in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, with Miguel Ramirez (1-0) doing the job for the Miners and Will Schierholz and Derek Cape pitching scoreless frames for the Rascals.
River City then went to Victor Beriguete (0-1) in the ninth, and after falling behind in the count 2-1, Vasquez launched a no-doubter home run deep over the left field fence for a 4-3 Miners lead. After Beriguete got the next two batters out, Portelli followed by clubbing a solo shot to right-center that landed on top of the clubhouse roof and made the score 5-3. Eric Green then closed it out with a perfect ninth inning as the Miners took a 1-0 lead in the series.
Southern Illinois returns home to Rent One Park for game two on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. looking to win the series and advance to the championship series. Pitcher of the Year Adam Lopez will take the hill for the Miners.
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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Frontier League Stories from September 11, 2015
- Rascals Lose Game 1 - River City Rascals
- Miners Take Game One at River City Behind Pair of Homers - Southern Illinois Miners
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