CornBelters Remain in Playoff Hunt with Split at Southern Illinois
August 26, 2018 - Frontier League (FL)
Normal CornBelters News Release
MARION, Ill. - The Normal CornBelters, presented by Illinois Corn Farmers, lost a pitcher's duel in the opener of a doubleheader 2-1 but ran away with the nightcap 10-1 on Sunday at Rent One Park.
The Miners scored both of their runs in the opener in the fourth inning when they led off with consecutive doubles by Romeo Cortina and Nolan Earley, followed by a Kyle Davis single to drive in Earley.
The CornBelters tallied their lone run in the fifth when Justin Fletcher scored on a base hit by Santiago Chirino.
Both starters worked six innings and took the decisions. Kurt Heyer (8-7) earned the win by giving up one earned run on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Zach Hartman pitched the final frame for his third save. Anthony Herrera (7-4) went the distance in a spot start, giving up two earned runs on four hits with one walk and five strikeouts.
In the second game, the CornBelters jumped in front quickly with a single run in each of the first three innings on a fielder's choice by Andrew Godbold, an RBI single by Cody Erickson and a run-scoring base hit by Chris Iriart. The Belters put the game out of reach with six runs in the fourth frame on a Derrick Loveless single, a bases-loaded walk to Sean Hurley and a grand slam by Iriart.
Loveless added an RBI single in the seventh inning for Normal's final run. Southern Illinois drove in a run in their final time at bat with a Romeo Cortina double.
Lewistown native Chance Simpson (1-0) worked five innings for his first decision, giving up only one hit with four walks and four strikeouts. Patrick Duester (2-3) lasted 2 1/3 innings and took the loss, giving up three earned runs on eight hits with no walks and one strikeout. The Belters outhit the Miners 13-4.
The CornBelters (46-43) move into third place in the Frontier League West Division, 1 1/2 games behind River City with six games remaining. The Belters are a half-game behind the Florence Freedom for the final wild card playoff spot as those teams begin a three-game series in suburban Cincinnati that includes a doubleheader beginning at 4:35 p.m. Central on Wednesday and a single game at 5:35 p.m. Central on Thursday. The Belters host the Evansville Otters for the final three regular season games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Corn Crib.
• Discuss this story on the Frontier League message board...
Frontier League Stories from August 26, 2018
- Miners Split Sunday Doubleheader in Home Finale - Southern Illinois Miners
- CornBelters Remain in Playoff Hunt with Split at Southern Illinois - Normal CornBelters
- Throwing Error in 10th Propels Washington over Lake Erie 4-3 - Washington Wild Things
- Beach Bums Drop Slugfest in Schaumburg in Final Road Game - Traverse City Beach Bums
- Otters Fall in Rubber Match to Rascals - Evansville Otters
- Rascals Rout Otters in Series Finale - River City Rascals
- Boomers Walk-Off with Wild Win - Schaumburg Boomers
- Florence Walk-Off Homer Sinks Grizzlies - Gateway Grizzlies
- Freedom Complete Sweep with Walk off Winner - Florence Y'alls
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
