DeMello's Homer Lifts Miners to Opening Night Win
May 13, 2016 - Frontier League (FL)
Southern Illinois Miners News Release
Marion, Ill. - The Southern Illinois Miners, down 5-4 in the eighth inning to the Traverse City Beach Bums, rallied for three runs in the inning, with Toby DeMello's no-doubter two-run homer providing the difference in a 7-5 Miners win on opening night at Rent One Park on Friday.
DeMello's blast capped a rally that saw Miners captain Steve Marino lead off with a double and featured a game-tying single by shortstop Francisco Rosario. Prior to that, the Beach Bums scored all five of their runs in the eighth inning, turning a 4-0 Miners lead into a 5-4 deficit.
Southern Illinois rode a strong opening start from left-hander Rick Teasley to the early advantage, as Teasley fired six shutout innings, allowing just two singles and one walk while striking out four in the no-decision. He needed just 66 pitches to get through his outing, and departed having retired 12 of the final 13 batters he faced. The Miners' offense struck first for single runs in the third and fifth, on an Alex De Leon sac fly and a Nolan Earley RBI single, with two more coming in the sixth on a three-base error by Jeff DeBlieux on a Rosario fly ball and an RBI single by DeMello.
After a perfect seventh from Isaac Gil, the Beach Bums drew three walks to start the eighth against Jake Cose, and plated two on a double by Matt Burns to make it 4-2 before sacrifice flies by DeBlieux and Brandon Thomasson gave the visitors the lead. That's when the Miners, who notched 25 come-from-behind wins last season, struck yet again for their first win of their Tenth Anniversary season. Evan Mott (1-0) recorded the win in relief, while Zach Cooper pitched the ninth for his first Miners save.
DeMello led the charge, going 2-for-4 with three RBIs, while Marino finished 3-for-4 with a double and newcomer Julius Gaines going 3-for-5 with two triples in the contest, his Miners debut.
Southern Illinois will look to keep the momentum going on Saturday night at 6:05 p.m. when they face the Beach Bums in the second game of the three-game series. Jarett Miller will take the mound for the Miners, opposed by Traverse City left-hander Dylan Stoops.
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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