Klein, Bats Lead Miners Past Grizzlies
July 22, 2015 - Frontier League (FL)
Southern Illinois Miners News Release
Marion, Ill. (July 22, 2015) - The Southern Illinois Miners pounded out 11 hits on offense to back rookie right-hander Jon Klein's quality start as they evened up their series with the Gateway Grizzlies at one game apiece with an 8-3 win on Wednesday night at Rent One Park.
The Miners scored almost immediately in the first, as Aaron Gates singled to lead off against Gateway starter Max Schonfeld (2-5), and moved to second on a passed ball before scoring on Michael Earley's RBI single. Steve Marino mashed an RBI double down the left field line with two outs later in the inning as the Miners led 2-0.
Gateway was able to score two runs on a single with two outs in the third by Ben Waldrip to tie the score, but the Miners would take the lead for good in the fourth. After Marino led off with a walk and Eric Strano hit a one-out single, Adrian English's RBI double, plus a sac fly by Gates and another RBI single by Earley within the span of four pitches, scored three more runs and gave Southern Illinois a 5-2 lead.
Klein (2-0) tossed six innings and allowed only four hits and three walks with two earned runs and five strikeouts to earn the victory on the mound for the Miners, who also got two more runs in the sixth on a wild pitch and Earley's sacrifice fly plus one more in the seventh on a long solo home run by Joe Rapp. The second homer by the first baseman answered a bases-loaded walk that scored a run for Gateway in the top of the inning to complete the scoring.
The Miners got two hits apiece from English, Gates and Earley, while the latter drove in three runs. Eight of the starting nine players in the lineup had at least one hit, with the 11 hits by the team representing the sixth time in the last eight games they have had double digits in the hit column. With an Evansville loss to Traverse City, the Miners moved within one game of the first-place Otters in the East Division standings.
The Miners will seek a series win in a rubber match against Gateway on Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. in Marion, with Rick Teasley taking the mound against Donny Murray in the 100th regular season game between the two franchises.
The Southern Illinois Miners are the 2014 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.
Frontier League Stories from July 22, 2015
- Miners Use Timely Hitting to Pull Past Grizzlies - Gateway Grizzlies
- Klein, Bats Lead Miners Past Grizzlies - Southern Illinois Miners
- Aviators Fly Past Freedom Late in Series Opener - Florence Y'alls
- Slammers Crush CornBelters 16-2 - Joliet Slammers
- Allen, Aviators Get Back on Track with Win in Florence - Rockford Aviators
- Boomers Steal Late Road Decision - Schaumburg Boomers
- Slammers Pound CornBelters to Even Mid-Week Series - Normal CornBelters
- Crushers use trio of three-run innings to beat Wild Things - Lake Erie Crushers
- Wild Things Drop Game Two in Turnpike Series, Crushers Win 9-5 - Washington Wild Things
- Untimely Hitting and Poor Defense Snap Otters' 7 Game Streak, 4-3 - Evansville Otters
- ThunderBolts Fall to Greys 11-3 - Windy City ThunderBolts
- July 22 Florence Freedom Game Notes & Updated Roster - Florence Y'alls
- Rascals Win Sixth Straight - River City Rascals
- Normal CornBelters Game Tonight - Normal CornBelters
- Evansville Otters Game Preview - Evansville Otters
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.
