Miners' Win Streak Snapped in Loss to ThunderBolts
July 28, 2016 - Frontier League (FL)
Southern Illinois Miners News Release
Marion, Ill. - The Southern Illinois Miners got off to a fast start after the game was delayed one hour and 32 minutes due to rain, leading 5-0 after two innings, but the Windy City ThunderBolts came all the way back, scoring nine runs in the next three innings and holding the Miners' potent offense at bay in a 10-5 loss at Rent One Park on Wednesday night, snapping their nine-game win streak with their first defeat since July 10th.
Windy City starter Brady Muller could not make it out of the second inning, walking five batters in the game, and all five came around to score as the Miners got a two-run single from Nolan Earley, extending his hit streak to 10 in a row, for a 2-0 lead in the first after the first three batters all walked. Steve Marino followed with an RBI single of his own and the Miners were up 3-0. In the second inning, two more leadoff walks and a wild pitch chased Muller, and a two-run single by Shane Kennedy, extending his hit streak to eight games in a row, made the score 5-0.
But it was all ThunderBolts from there, as rookie left-hander Jake Stolley (1-0) pitched four scoreless innings while striking out six in his pro debut while the Miners' pitching faltered. Windy City scored two runs in the third and two in the fourth against Dan Ludwig, and then took the lead for good with five runs in the fifth against rookie right-hander Dustin Batson for a 9-5 lead. Nick Palacios came in to relieve Batson (0-1) and pitched a career-high three innings with a career-best five strikeouts to save the Miners' bullpen, but the damage was done, with the ThunderBolts adding an unearned run in the eighth for the final margin.
Southern Illinois was out-hit 10-6 in the contest, with Kennedy and Earley each going 2-for-4 with two RBIs. They will look to bounce back and win the series in a rubber match on Thursday night at 7:05 p.m., with Jarett Miller taking the mound opposed by Windy City's Jake Fisher.
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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